J.B. Hunt part of autonomous truck collaboration with Kodiak, Bridgestone

A collaboration between Lowell-based carrier J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., tire manufacturer Bridgestone Americas and autonomous trucking company Kodiak Robotics Inc. recently surpassed 50,000 autonomous long-haul trucking miles.

According to a Wednesday (Aug. 7) news release, Kodiak autonomous trucks are used in a route to ship Bridgestone passenger car tires between South Carolina and Dallas.

Since its launch in January, the autonomous route has been driven without accidents and has achieved 100% on-time pick-up and delivery, the release shows. The companies have expanded the collaboration to include additional weekly deliveries along the route.

The long-haul stretch of the route from Atlanta to Dallas – about 750 miles and 16 hours – is completed using Kodiak autonomous driving technology, which is fitted with Bridgestone M719 drive tires and R213 steer tires. J.B. Hunt transports the trailers to and from Bridgestone facilities and Kodiak hubs. The companies use J.B. Hunt 360box, a network of more than 14,000 company trailers, to secure capacity for the return trip from Dallas.

“Working closely with Kodiak and Bridgestone, we were able to deliver a complementary solution that integrates autonomous technology with day-to-day operations while also solving backhaul challenges,” said Nick Hobbs, chief operating officer and president of contract services at J.B. Hunt. “It’s a great example of how our mode-neutral approach can leverage multiple service offerings to produce efficient, value-driven solutions unique to our customers’ needs.”

Following are the steps of the autonomous route:
• J.B. Hunt moves the load from Bridgestone’s Aiken Passenger Tire plant in Graniteville, S.C., to Kodiak’s Atlanta-area autonomous truck port in Villa Rica, Ga.

• Kodiak autonomous trucks complete the long-haul stretch of the route from Atlanta to Kodiak’s Lancaster, Texas, facility. A two-person team of Kodiak safety drivers oversees the operation of the autonomous truck.

• J.B. Hunt transports the load about 50 miles from Lancaster to Bridgestone’s Roanoke distribution center.

• For the trip from Dallas to Atlanta, J.B. Hunt uses its J.B. Hunt 360box program to identify additional customers with freight needs along the route. Kodiak completes the delivery autonomously to Atlanta. Then, J.B. Hunt transports the load to its next destination.

“As part of our evolution into a global leader in sustainable mobility solutions, Bridgestone joined forces with Kodiak and J.B. Hunt to prove that autonomous long-haul shipping is more than just a daydream; it’s happening right now,” said Brad Blizzard, vice president of logistics operations and product delivery at Bridgestone. “We are excited to be expanding our routes, growing this partnership and investing in the mobility of the future.”

J.B. Hunt provides Bridgestone, a Dedicated Contract Services customer, with pickup and delivery services for multiple customer locations throughout the United States. In June 2021, Bridgestone announced an investment in and partnership with Kodiak. As part of the partnership, Bridgestone has integrated its smart-sensing tire technology into Kodiak’s autonomous trucks and integrated smart tire technologies to enhance vehicle safety and efficiency. Bridgestone is also Kodiak’s exclusive tire supplier.

“Our ability to build an autonomous delivery program with J.B. Hunt, one of America’s best-respected and most innovative trucking fleets, and Bridgestone, a longstanding Kodiak investor and a leader in transportation technology, makes this a perfect collaboration,” said Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak. “Demonstrating the efficacy of our middle mile model and improving operational efficiencies for our customers sets us all on a course for rapid and sustainable growth.”

Shares of J.B. Hunt (NASDAQ: JBHT) were trading Wednesday at $163.93, flat from the Tuesday (Aug. 6) closing price. In the past 52 weeks, the stock has ranged between $153.12 and $219.51.