Leader Follower Platooning

Front of a semi truck

Developed for Defense, Adapted for Business Continuity

Kratos Leader Follower Platoons are field-proven solutions for work zone safety, tactical convoys, and now-logistics hardening in agriculture and energy industries. The retrofit kit is adapted to an existing or new fleet, providing a near-term solution to the driving shortage, safety regulations, and increasing productivity.

In 2023, Kratos deployed its first set of leader follower platoon class-8 trucks to support sugar beet hauling with partner, MinnDak Farmer’s Cooperative. Deployed in Wahpedon, North Dakota, this solution has been utilized n harsh weather-including ice, snow, extreme cold, and heavy fog. The caged-trailers haul upwards of 99,000 lbs of sugar beets on short-haul routes 24/7 for over 75% of the year.

Retrofit - Upgrade Existing or New Trucks, Trailer Agnostic Design

Retrofit

Upgrade Existing or New Trucks
Trailer Agnostic Design

Partnership - Work with local DOT, Highway Patrols, and Government

Partnership

Work with local DOT, Highway Patrols, and Government

Safety - Focus on Safety with Support for Closed/Open Road Testing

Safety

Focus on Safety with Support for Closed/Open Road Testing

  • Safety First — Independent simultaneous operating Navigation, V2V Communications, Sensor, User Interface, Breaking Control and E-Stop Systems to provide system redundancy
  • Retrofit — Utilize existing fleets to reduce cost (HMMWV, Tanks, Class 8, Class 7, and multiple commercial vehicles)
  • Field-Proven — Deployed in Day/Night/Twilight, full Highway speeds, Harsh Winter Environments
  • Comprehensive Solution — Cofigured to customer vehicle including Installation, Integration, and Operator Training
  • GPS-Denied — Advanced INS and wide-angle video streams

Increase Safety, Efficiency, and Productivity

Kratos has taken initiative to deploy self-driving truck solutions deployed to Agriculture and Renewable Energy industry organizations to harden their Supply Chain operations enabling business continuity leveraging technology in rural communities often overlooked. The self-driving technology is retrofit to existing vehicles within the company’s fleet offering a cost-effective implementation versus requiring the purchase of all new vehicles. Once automated, the trucks are deployed in a Leader Follower Platoon configuration which maintains a human-in-the-loop during each deployment. Deploying a Leader Follower Platoon offers several advantages to the organization with regards to maintaining their existing driver pool, enhancing haul capacity, and having a backup solution to deploy when qualified drivers are unavailable. Kratos self-driving truck deployments solve real-world workforce and safety issues of today burdening critical Transportation and Supply Chain operations.

Filing at Pile

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