PepsiCo, Gatik Put Driverless Freight Across Three States
PepsiCo and Gatik say fully driverless box trucks are now running commercial routes across Texas, Arizona, and Arkansas, including highways, city streets, and about 250 retail stops.
Driverless freight moves beyond pilots
PepsiCo and Gatik have moved their autonomous freight work into regular commercial service across Texas, Arizona, and Arkansas, with no safety drivers or observers in the trucks. FreightWaves reported that the deployment covers both highways and surface streets, a harder operating mix than long, controlled interstate runs.
The trucks are serving about 250 retail locations for PepsiCo, including Walmart and Dollar General stores. The companies have worked together since 2022, and Gatik says driver-out operations began in June 2025.
What is actually running
Gatik's model is middle-mile freight: repeatable routes between distribution points and stores, using autonomous box trucks rather than Class 8 tractors. That makes the rollout relevant for fleets watching autonomy but still skeptical of broad over-the-road promises.
The company says the PepsiCo work has held a 99% on-time track record. PepsiCo's own announcement framed the multi-year agreement as part of a push for more responsive transportation networks in one of the largest food and beverage supply chains.
Why fleets should watch
For fleet operators, the signal is less about replacing every driver and more about where autonomous freight is becoming operationally boring enough to buy. Short, repetitive lanes with predictable freight, known stops, and tight service windows are where the technology is getting its first real commercial test.
