Kratos Defense & Security Solutions says it completed a cross-country trip with a driverless truck that followed a driver-operated tractor trailer.
According to the San Diego, California-based military weapons manufacturer, the tandem method is another viable use to advance commercial adoption of autonomous driving technology.
To showcase its approach, Kratos, in partnership with Champion Tire & Wheel, a provider of motorsports logistics services for NASCAR, used a back-and-forth cross-country route that was expected to cover about 6,000 miles between June 12 and June 26, a spokesperson for Kratos told Trucking Dive in an email.
The goal was to demonstrate how Kratos’ military systems, which include autonomous aircraft, can also work in long-haul logistics operations. Conducting a cross-country trip demonstrated “scalable execution,” VP of Business Development Maynard Factor said in a June 17 press release.
“Our autonomous follower tractor-trailer successfully completed a cross-country logistics haul, demonstrating how platooning technology can safely improve efficiency, expand freight capacity, and help address ongoing driver shortages,” Factor said.
This was the second time Kratos used its tandem method for hauling racing equipment. Last year, the company completed a 200-mile, one-way route from the Columbus, Ohio area to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
In transporting its load for NASCAR’s operations, Kratos’ driver-operated tractor was followed by an autonomous truck with a safety driver on board, transporting equipment used by teams competing at the Anduril 250 held at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego on June 21. The convoy’s full route took it from Kratos’ facility in Fort Walton Beach, Florida to Champion’s location in Cornelius, North Carolina and then to San Diego with the trucks expected to return to Florida on June 26.
The trucks averaged about 10 hours travel daily with planned stops at designated locations for fueling, inspections and rest periods, Kratos’ spokesperson said.
Kratos’ system utilizes a human-driven truck, which is electronically linked to a self-driving truck traveling behind it. The tandem process allows the lead driver to control the speed and direction of the autonomous truck.
Kratos said its platooning approach enables a single driver to support multiple vehicles, offering a path toward improving efficiency and expanding the use of autonomous technology in commercial transportation and defense logistics.
Kratos is operating in a field where several companies are also seeking to advance commercial deployment of autonomous trucking technology.
Volvo Autonomous Solutions, which utilizes technology developed by Aurora Innovation, expects to remove safety drivers and go fully driverless on U.S. highways in Q1 2027. Einride earlier this month became a publicly traded company as it works toward scaling its autnonomous technology.
Kodiak AI also is on track to launch long-haul driverless trucks this year after it already began commercializing autonomous operations on private roads in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico.
Meanwhile, Aurora Innovation also is deploying its technology through other carrier partners, including Hirschbach Motor Lines. The reefer carrier expanded its partnership with Aurora and now expects to own 500 trucks operated by the tech firm’s technology.
