Loblaw & Gatik expand GTA autonomous truck partnership

Gatik and Loblaw have announced an expansion of their commercial partnership to deploy autonomous trucks across Loblaw's distribution network in the Greater Toronto Area.

Under this multi-year agreement, the initial rollout involves the deployment of 20 autonomous trucks equipped with Gatik's sensor technology by the end of 2025. An additional 30 autonomous trucks are scheduled for deployment in 2026. Further trucks will be announced at a later date for the remaining duration of the partnership.

The partnership, according to both companies, marks the largest planned roll-out of autonomous trucks in North America. The initial deployments will feature safety drivers, with a transition to freight-only, driverless operations expected as the technology and regulatory landscape evolve. The trucks are expected to operate across Loblaw's regional distribution networks in the Greater Toronto Area, servicing over 300 Loblaw locations with greater frequency and responsiveness.

"This is a transformational moment, not just for Gatik and Loblaw, but for the autonomous trucking sector globally," said Gautam Narang, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Gatik. "It's the first time a major retailer has transitioned from pilot to commercial scale with autonomous trucks, directly addressing Canada's growing driver shortage, delivering the true benefits of autonomous logistics - reliability, safety and scalability - to millions of Canadians."

Loblaw's investment in Gatik aims to accelerate the expansion and geographic coverage of the autonomous fleet within key priority markets. The companies have previously collaborated, deploying Canada's first driverless commercial fleet in 2022, which set the groundwork for the latest partnership development.

The new fleet will be equipped with Gatik's proprietary AI driver system, designed for safety, scalability, and transparency in real-world commercial settings. The trucks, some of which are cold-chain-ready, will be utilised for transporting time-sensitive grocery and household items. Loblaw is the largest retailer in the country, with brands like Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore and Shoppers Drug Mart under its portfolio.

"Autonomous logistics will enable us to move more orders more frequently for our customers. We are excited to continue leading the way nationally in retail distribution with Gatik's groundbreaking technology which has already been proven across our operations," said Rob Wiebe, Chief Administrator of Loblaw Companies Limited. 

Regulatory framework

In preparation for the expansion, Gatik has collaborated with the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. This cooperation contributed to the development of the Automated Commercial Motor Vehicle Pilot Program, a recently launched provincial regulatory framework that permits medium-duty autonomous trucks to operate on all surface streets and highways within Ontario.

Gatik is pursuing a regional network model, focusing on high-frequency routes within densely populated commercial areas. This strategy, already in practice in regions such as Texas, Arkansas and Arizona, is currently being leveraged to maximise operational safety and efficiency, with driverless operations active in selected US and Canadian markets. 

Image courtesy of Gatik.