Kodiak Robotics launched an industry advisory council to guide the company’s driverless truck tech development, deployment and public engagement, the company announced March 27.
Former Kodiak COO James Reed chairs the group, which also includes executives of Werner Enterprises, UPS, the Arkansas Trucking Association and Loadsmith, as well as a former Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration agency head.
“This council brings together a powerful combination of innovation, leadership, and rich insight and I’m honored to have them be a part of the Kodiak team,” Kodiak Founder and CEO Don Burnette said in a LinkedIn post.
The members of the advisory council include:
- Chad Dittberner, SVP of dry and expedited at Werner, who has more than 30 years of experience at the carrier.
- Anne Ferro, former administrator of the FMCSA, former president and CEO of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, and former Maryland Motor Vehicle Administrator and Maryland Motor Truck Association president and CEO.
- William Kruger, VP of fleet maintenance and engineering at UPS, where he has worked since 1989 and leads a Corporate Automotive ATG group with its autonomous fleet strategy.
- Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association, who has spent 20 years at the association and chairs the Trucking Association Executives Council of the American Trucking Associations.
- Brett Suma, founder and CEO of Loadsmith, a third-party logistics platform for shippers and carriers, which has equipped 800 trucks with the Kodiak Driver self-driving technology through a partnership.
Reed, now Walmart’s VP of transportation development, called the council’s members “an esteemed group of industry luminaries whose range of experience includes work with industry-leading shippers, carriers, safety advocates, and regulators.”
“Their unique perspectives will help to lead and shape the ways we approach industry and driver engagement, industry transformation, and driving public acceptance of autonomous trucks,” Reed said.
