Ryder System has reached a deal with middle-mile autonomous truck maker Gatik to establish an autonomous logistics network in the U.S. and Canada.

Ryder also invested in Gatik, through its venture capital fund RyderVentures, marking the fund’s first investment in an autonomous trucking company.

As part of the partnership, Gatik will lease from Ryder a fleet of medium-duty, multi-temperature box trucks for transporting goods to retail locations from micro-fulfillment centers. It will then integrate its self-driving technology into the lased fleet, enabling Gatik to provide an “autonomous-delivery-as-a-service (ADaas)” model to customers.

Ryder will service and maintain the trucks, and in the future Ryder may manage the logistics operations of the autonomous fleet.

“The combination of maintaining direct relationships with customers while being asset-light has never been achieved in the autonomous trucking industry before,” said Gautam Narang, CEO and co-founder, Gatik. “This partnership enables us to benefit from Ryder’s world-class expertise in commercial vehicle servicing and maintenance, and leverage Ryder’s North American infrastructure to expand our fleet to multiple markets quickly. Ryder has consistently demonstrated commitment to innovation and serving their customers’ needs – core principles that resonated deeply with us.”

“One of our focus areas, not only for RyderVentures but for Ryder as a company, is on autonomous trucking technology. It’s on track to solve a host of industry pain points. Think about ever-escalating consumer demands combined with capacity constraints, driver shortages, and regulatory and safety pressures,” adds Karen Jones, chief marketing officer and head of new product development for Ryder. “Gatik’s commitment to safety, focus on efficiency and affordability, and unique approach to structured autonomy make it a leader in autonomous middle-mile delivery – and a great partner for Ryder.”