https://apnews.com/500bbf7b79c2cb897146bfc803effb7c

NEW YORK (AP) — Late last year, autonomous vehicle startup Gatik announced a big step: it eliminated the safety operator from behind the wheel of two self-driving trucks as part of its partnership with discounter Walmart. Now, the Mountain View, California firm is looking to speed up the process of fully driverless truck operations in the next few years.

The company stands apart from other autonomous delivery companies because it doesn't haul goods directly to shoppers. Rather, its autonomous trucks deliver groceries and other goods from big distribution centers to retail locations on fixed, repetitive, short distances, a critical link to the delivery system. For example, Gatik's two fully autonomous driving vehicles for Walmart haul goods on a fixed 7.1 mile (11.4 kilometers) route in Bentonville, Arkansas, where Walmart's headquarters is based.