PepsiCo and autonomous trucking company Gatik have launched what the companies describe as the largest commercial deployment of fully driverless freight trucks in the United States, expanding autonomous deliveries across Texas, Arizona and Arkansas.
The multi-year partnership has placed 41 autonomous medium-duty Isuzu box trucks into service, with the vehicles transporting products including Frito-Lay snacks, Pepsi beverages, and Gatorade between distribution centers, bottling facilities, and retail locations.
According to the companies, the trucks have been operating without safety drivers or onboard observers since June 2025. The vehicles currently serve approximately 250 retail locations, including Walmart and Dollar General stores, traveling on both highways and surface streets.
“Serving our vast network of customers requires a supply chain that is safe, reliable and built for the future,” said Jim Farrell, senior vice president of supply chain at PepsiCo, FreightWaves reported. “Gatik is already operating inside our networks and brings the autonomous freight technology, commercial experience and scale we need to strengthen service, add capacity and move products more consistently for our customers.”
The deployment represents one of the largest autonomous freight operations currently operating in the country. PepsiCo reported that the fleet has recorded no accidents and maintains a 99% on-time performance rate after accounting for traffic and weather conditions.
The trucks are primarily used on fixed, short-haul routes linking distribution centers, manufacturing facilities, and retail stores. Company officials said the predictable routes make them well-suited for autonomous operations while allowing human drivers to focus on other transportation needs.
Gatik Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Gautam Narang said the deployment demonstrates that autonomous trucking technology has moved beyond pilot programs.
“Driverless trucks deployed in commercial capacity, driving across highways and surface streets — that’s what we’re doing with PepsiCo,” Narang said, per FreightWaves. “The fact that they’re adopting this in very complex supply chains is one of the proof points that autonomous trucking is mainstream.”
Unlike many autonomous vehicle programs that continue to rely on onboard safety operators, Gatik’s trucks operate without a driver or observer in the cab. Instead, the company uses remote supervisors who oversee multiple vehicles and make high-level operational decisions. The supervisors do not remotely drive the trucks.
“To my understanding, in the trucking space we are the only company that can make that claim today — without a driver and without an observer,” Narang said.
The companies said the deployment is intended to increase transportation capacity rather than reduce staffing. PepsiCo cited ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified drivers for regional freight operations.
“Autonomous trucking has reached commercial scale when it operates inside one of the most demanding supply chains on the planet,” Narang said. “That is what Gatik is doing with PepsiCo.”
The partnership began in 2022, and the companies plan to expand operations significantly in the coming years. Gatik, Isuzu Motors and Nvidia are developing a South Carolina production facility that is expected to begin manufacturing Level 4 autonomous trucks in the second half of 2027.
“The volumes that we’re looking at for this year are in the hundreds of trucks,” Narang said. “Once the Isuzu facility is up and running and we have our vehicles coming off the production line, the volumes that we’re looking at are tens of thousands of trucks.”
The rollout comes as autonomous vehicle technology gains traction across the transportation sector. Industry reports indicate that multiple autonomous trucking companies are operating in the southern United States, though many still rely on human safety operators.
The growing use of driverless commercial vehicles has also drawn scrutiny from labor groups. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has advocated for requirements that trained human operators remain present in autonomous commercial vehicles used for deliveries.
For now, PepsiCo’s driverless fleet is providing a high-profile example of autonomous technology moving from testing to daily commercial operations, particularly in states such as Texas, which have become major hubs for self-driving vehicle development.
