Gatik and Walmart Partner to Advance Autonomous Vehicle Legislation

Our unique approach to structured autonomy along with our exclusive focus on short-haul B2B logistics has enabled us to bring a safe and efficient solution to market today. We’re delivering goods on behalf of our customers daily, with speed and efficiency, and redefining the standard in how goods are transported on the supply chain’s middle mile.

As we continue to scale at pace, it’s vital that states which have long been silent on autonomous vehicle policy join the significant ranks of those that allow for the safe and rapid introduction of autonomous vehicles.

This month, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 313 into law. The new legislation enables the deployment of fully autonomous vehicles on public roads in Kansas, paving the way for the benefits of Gatik’s autonomous trucks to be realized in the state for the first time: enhanced road safety for all road users, increased product flow, lower costs and higher asset utilization on the supply chain. At a time when the supply chain is under immense pressure, this new law will help to secure dedicated capacity and reliable service — keeping shelves stocked and meeting consumer expectations for real-time access to goods.

Over the past 12 months we worked closely with our partner, Walmart, and key stakeholders including the Kansas Department of Transportation, the Governor’s office, leadership in the House and Senate and the Kansas Sheriffs’ Association to develop and propose legislation that prioritizes the safe and structured introduction of autonomous vehicles. We’re incredibly grateful for the strong support we’ve received in the Sunflower State, and applaud Governor Kelly for taking a proactive approach to enabling the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles.

Map of states which permit fully driverless operations and autonomous vehicle testing

From a policy perspective, this is massive news. The new legislation means that Kansas becomes the 25th state in the US to allow fully autonomous vehicles to operate on public roads. Our work in Kansas also builds upon recent success in Oklahoma — in April, Governor Kevin Stitt signed SB 1541 into law, enabling autonomous vehicle deployment in the Sooner State, again for the first time. Gatik and Walmart worked closely with the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association to develop and propose legislation which received overwhelming bipartisan support. This support speaks volumes about the immediate need to identify a safe, reliable, solution for today’s supply chain, and the trust that lawmakers and regulators are placing in autonomous trucking to provide the answer. We know there is more work to be done, and will continue working with lawmakers, regulatory authorities, industry partners and other key stakeholders to ensure that the benefits of autonomous vehicles can be realized across each and every state.

Gatik and Walmart have an impressive track record of working closely with state legislators and regulators across multiple jurisdictions. In addition to our recent successes, Walmart and Gatik proposed legislation in Arkansas in 2019 enabling our commercial operations to commence. In 2020, the companies received the first approval ever granted by the Arkansas State Highway Commission to remove the safety driver from Gatik’s autonomous trucks, following the completion of 18 months’ successful operations, paving the way for Gatik to become the first company worldwide to deploy fully driverless vehicles on a commercial middle mile delivery route.

We take great pride in developing meaningful relationships with state and local authorities, and working closely together with law enforcement and first responders as part of our industry-leading stakeholder engagement strategy in every jurisdiction. The enactment of Senate Bill 313 into law in Kansas enables the Gatik team to continue scaling our solution the right way, and signifies a tremendous step forward in creating safer roads, a wealth of new jobs, and enabling the delivery of essential goods to Kansans with speed and efficiency.