Gatik expands autonomous truck fleet with Loblaw to be largest in North America (www.freightwaves.com)

Gatik announced a multiyear expansion with Loblaw to deploy an autonomous middle-mile truck fleet across the Greater Toronto Area, backed by Loblaw’s strategic investment. The rollout will add 20 next‑generation sensor‑equipped trucks by the end of 2025 and another 30 by the end of 2026—creating what Gatik calls the largest autonomous truck deployment in North America and increasing its footprint from roughly 100 vehicles to about 150. Vehicles will run 24/7 on short‑haul, predictable routes of roughly 40–50 miles carrying dry and perishable goods between distribution centers and stores. Technically and operationally, Gatik’s constrained “known repetitive routes” model lets it avoid highly complex urban zones and accelerate the move to fully driverless service. Initially trucks will operate with safety drivers—especially for docking tasks—with plans to apply for driverless operations under Ontario’s new automated commercial motor vehicle program, a safety‑first regulatory regime that requires additional approvals to remove onboard safety personnel. The deployment underscores how predictable middle‑mile logistics can be a near‑term path to scaled, commercial autonomy and signals growing industry momentum as retailers invest to future‑proof supply chains.