Goodyear and autonomous truck developer Gatik have signed a multi-year deal to collaborate on autonomous B2B shorthaul deliveries.

Gatik says it has established the first autonomous middle mile logistics network in North America and is expanding its fleet of Classes 3-6 autonomous trucks. In Ontario it is working with Loblaw on autonomous local deliveries.

Goodyear is investing in the company through its Goodyear Ventures venture capital fund. It will supply tires equipped with intelligence technology, powered by Goodyear Sightline, a suite of intelligent tire solutions.

The companies say they will work to reduce stopping distances in autonomous commercial vehicles, and monitor tire pressures in real-time.

“By leveraging our advanced tire intelligence solutions, Goodyear can help improve vehicle performance and safety in autonomous transportation,” said Chris Helsel, Goodyear’s senior vice-president, global operations and chief technology officer. “Together, Goodyear and Gatik will combine our innovative technologies to help bring more efficiency in the increasingly important middle mile segment.”

“The benefits of Goodyear’s tire intelligence technology are grounded in enhancing safety, increasing efficiency and reducing costs – principles which are absolutely fundamental to Gatik’s mission and success,” added Arjun Narang, CTO and co-founder, Gatik. “This collaboration will enable us to further increase the value we offer our customers across the continent and help define new standards in safety and sustainability for the B2B short-haul sector.”