Wal-Mart launches 'fully unmanned self-driving truck' delivery in 2021

Wal-Mart, the world's largest supermarket chain, is reportedly planning to deliver on fully unmanned self-driving trucks from 2021. Fully autonomous truck driving has already been tested, and delivery services will be launched sequentially from Arkansas, USA.

Walmart and Gatik Go Driverless in Arkansas and Expand Self-Driving Car Pilot to a Second Location

https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2020/12/15/walmart-and-gatik-go-driverless-in-arkansas-and-expand-self-driving-car-pilot-to-a-second- location

Walmart will use fully driverless trucks to make deliveries in 2021 --The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/15/22176179/walmart-fully-driverless-box-truck-delivery-gatik

Wal-Mart has partnered with Gatik , a startup that provides self-driving delivery networks, to develop temperature-controlled transport trucks with sensors and software that enable self-driving. Starting in July 2019, with the permission of local authorities, we will deliver online shopping inventory from Wal-Mart's main warehouse to stores around Bentonville, Arkansas via a two-mile route. We are officially developing the service to do.

Gatik's self-driving van launches Wal-Mart daily necessities | TechCrunch Japan
https://jp.techcrunch.com/2019/07/28/2019-07-28-gatiks-self-driving-vans-have-started-shuttling-groceries-for-walmart/

The trucks used in the service, which started in 2019, were not fully autonomous self-driving trucks, as they always had a human driver on board to assist in safe driving. However, from 2021, Wal-Mart has declared that it will be delivered by 'fully unmanned self-driving trucks' without auxiliary drivers.

Delivery by fully autonomous self-driving trucks will take the same route as delivery in 2019, as well as a longer route of 20 miles (about 32 km) in Louisiana, USA. In addition, on this route in Louisiana, it is said that the delivery will be carried out with the auxiliary driver on board, and then the vehicle will be switched to fully autonomous driving.

by Mike Mozart

'Given that 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of Wal-Mart, shopping at a nearby store is the right answer,' said Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer products at Wal-Mart. Not always. Since self-driving cars deliver on a regular basis, it may just be the place to receive what you buy online. Experiments we conducted with Gatik were tested on self-driving cars. It's just two of the many use cases we're doing, and we look forward to continuing to research ways to incorporate autonomous driving into our delivery ecosystem. '