MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 20, 2025--
Please replace the release dated April 14, 2025, with the following corrected version due to multiple revisions.
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GATIK’S SAFETY CASE AND FUNCTIONAL SAFETY APPROACHES UNDERWENT INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT FROM TÜV SÜD AS PART OF AN INDUSTRY-FIRST THIRD-PARTY REVIEW
Autonomous middle-mile logistics leader concludes critical phase of independent safety assessment ahead of deploying Freight-Only (driverless) trucks at scale in 2025
Gatik, the leader in autonomous middle-mile logistics, today announced that two major pillars of its Safety Assessment Framework were successfully reviewed by TÜV SÜD. Gatik’s methodological approach to both the Safety Case and Functional Safety phases of Gatik’s comprehensive Safety Assessment Framework were independently assessed, marking a significant milestone on the company’s path to safely launching Freight-Only commercial operations this year. TÜV SÜD, a globally recognized independent testing, inspection, and certification organization with extensive experience in autonomous system safety assurance, provided the independent, third-party assessment, finding that Gatik’s approach to the development of a comprehensive Safety Case and Functional Safety was in adherence to the requirements of TÜV SÜD’s Autonomous Vehicle Conformity Framework, a globally-recognized process for evaluating autonomous vehicle safety across development, testing and deployment domains.
While self-certification has become the accepted standard for safety in the autonomous vehicle industry, Gatik’s Safety Assessment Framework enables traceability and transparency to all claims of safety that are made by virtue of an independent assessment. TÜV SÜD’s Autonomous Vehicle Conformity Framework involves an end-to-end review of Gatik’s Functional Safety portfolios, including the following key elements: Operational Design Domain (ODD), Item Definition, Testing, Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment (HARA), Coverage/Safety Analysis and Safety Culture. Importantly, these items and all others related to safety, trace to a comprehensive Safety Case allowing for appropriate oversight of the entire system. TÜV SÜD’s review, which is a preliminary assessment of Gatik’s approach to Safety Case development and Functional Safety, serves as a progress checkpoint, confirming that Gatik’s approach is aligned with TÜV SÜD’s internal requirements under the Autonomous Vehicle Conformity Framework to support the successful development of Freight-Only (driverless) trucks at scale, while establishing a pathway for future compliance with relevant standards.
“We strongly believe that the future of autonomous vehicles will be defined by those who prioritize safety above all else,” said Gautam Narang, Gatik’s CEO and co-founder. “This independent review of our Safety Case and Functional Safety methodology represents a radical departure from the self-certified safety audits that have become the industry norm. By engaging TÜV SÜD to provide this review from an external vantage point, Gatik is setting a new benchmark for the industry – one that puts safety and transparency at the forefront of the autonomous vehicle revolution.”
“From the beginning, Gatik’s approach to safety has been defined by an uncompromising commitment to the highest standards, both internal and external” said Dr. Adam Campbell, Gatik’s Head of Safety. “The independent assessment that we have pursued at Gatik meets the level of transparency that policymakers, first responders, business partners, and everyday drivers expect and deserve. In our view, TÜV SÜD’s assessment represents a tremendous vote of confidence in our approaches to scaling safety in our Safety Assessment Framework, serving as the foundation for our launch of Freight-Only commercial operations at scale this year.”
Gatik’s Safety Assessment Framework encompasses over 700 identified safety portfolios to address key pillars of AV safety: organizational safety culture, engineering quality (functional, behavioral and operational safety of the self-driving system), cyber security, vehicle safety, and Safety Case conformity to UL4600 and other industry standards. As part of the company’s commitment to transparency and accountability across all aspects of its approach to safe testing and deployment, Gatik will be publicly sharing further information on progress made towards completion of the Safety Assessment Framework prior to deployment of Freight-Only operations.
About Gatik
Gatik AI Inc., the leader in autonomous middle-mile logistics, is revolutionizing B2B supply chains by enabling safe, consistent, high-frequency freight movement. Gatik’s AI-Driven Autonomy is transforming short-haul logistics for Fortune 500 retailers, and in 2021 the company launched the world’s first driverless commercial transportation service with Walmart. Gatik’s medium-duty autonomous trucks are commercially deployed in multiple markets including Texas, Arkansas, Arizona, and Ontario. Gatik partners with industry leaders including Isuzu Motors, NVIDIA, Cummins, Ryder, and Goodyear. Founded in 2017 by veterans of the autonomous technology industry, the company has offices in Mountain View, Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix and Toronto.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, statements regarding future business strategies, plans, objectives, and anticipated performance. These forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations and beliefs of Gatik and are subject to various risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements.
Factors that could impact these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, changes in market conditions, economic factors, competitive dynamics, regulatory developments, and unforeseen operational challenges. Gatik undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release.
While self-certification has become the accepted standard for safety in the autonomous vehicle industry, Gatik’s Safety Assessment Framework enables traceability and transparency to all claims of safety that are made by virtue of an independent assessment.
MONROE, Wash. (AP) — A blast of arctic air swept south from Canada and spread into parts of the northern U.S. on Saturday, while residents of the Pacific Northwest braced for possible mudslides and levee failures from floodwaters that are expected to be slow to recede.
The catastrophic flooding forced thousands of people to evacuate, including Eddie Wicks and his wife, who live amid sunflowers and Christmas trees on a Washington state farm next to the Snoqualmie River. As they moved their two donkeys to higher ground and their eight goats to their outdoor kitchen, the water began to rise much quicker than anything they had experienced before.
As the water engulfed their home Thursday afternoon, deputies from the King County Sheriff’s Office marine rescue dive unit were able to rescue them and their dog, taking them on a boat the half-mile (800 meters) across their field, which had been transformed into a lake. The rescue was captured on video.
Another round of rain and wind is in store for the region as early as late Sunday, forecasters said.
“Bottom line at this point in time is we’re not done despite the sunny conditions that we have across western Washington at this point,” said Reid Wolcott, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.
“There is yet more still to come in terms of in terms of wind, in terms of rain, in terms in terms of flooding,” he said. “And Washingtonians need to be prepared for additional impacts, additional flooding, tree damage, power outages, etc.”
High winds expected at the end of the weekend and into the first part of week are a concern because the ground is extremely saturated, putting trees at risk of toppling, he said.
In Burlington, a farming community about an hour north of Seattle, the receding floodwaters allowed residents to assess damage and clean up their homes.
Friends and relatives helped empty Argentina Dominguez's home, filling trailers with soaked furniture, ripping carpet and mopping muddy floors.
“I know it’s materialistic stuff, but they were our stuff. It’s really hard. But we’re gonna try our best to like get through it all,” Dominguez said. “We’re just trying to get everything off the floor so we can start over.”
In Snohomish County, Washington, north of Seattle, emergency officials on Saturday led federal, state and local officials on a tour of the devastation.
“It’s obvious that thousands and thousands of Washingtonians and communities all across our state are in the process of digging out, and that’s going to be a challenging process,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said.
“It’s going to be expensive,” he said. “It’s going to be time consuming, and it’s going to be potentially dangerous at times. So I think we’re seeing here in Monroe is what we’re going to be seeing all across the state, and that’s what’s got our focus right now.”
As the Pacific Northwest begins to recover from the deluge, a separate weather system already brought dangerous wind-chill values — the combination of cold air temperatures and wind — to parts of the Upper Midwest.
Shortly before noon Saturday, it was minus 12 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 24 degrees Celsius) in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where the wind-chill value meant that it felt like minus 33 F (minus 36 C), the National Weather Service said.
For big cities like Minneapolis and Chicago, the coldest temperatures were expected late Saturday night into Sunday morning. In the Minneapolis area, low temperatures were expected to drop to around minus 15 F (minus 26 C), by early Sunday morning. Lows in the Chicago area are projected to be around 1 F(minus 17 C) by early Sunday, the weather service said.
The Arctic air mass was expected to continue pushing south and east over the weekend, expanding into Southern states by Sunday.
The National Weather Service on Saturday issued cold weather advisories that stretched as far south as the Alabama state capital city of Montgomery, where temperatures late Sunday night into Monday morning were expected to plummet to around 22 F (minus 6 C). To the east, lows in Savannah, Georgia, were expected to drop to around 24 F (minus 4 C) during the same time period.
The cold weather freezing much of the country came as residents in the Pacific Northwest endure more misery after several days of flooding. Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate towns in the region as an unusually strong atmospheric river dumped a foot (30 centimeters) or more of rain in parts of western and central Washington over several days and swelled rivers, inundating communities and prompting dramatic rescues from rooftops and vehicles.
Many animals were also evacuated as waters raged over horse pastures, barns and farmland. At the peak of evacuations, roughly 170 horses, 140 chickens and 90 goats saved from the floodwaters were being cared for at a county park north of Seattle, said Kara Underwood, division manager of Snohomish County Parks. Most of those animals were still at the park on Saturday, she said.
The record floodwaters slowly receded, but authorities warned that waters will remain high for days, and that there was still danger from potential levee failures or mudslides. There was also the threat of more rain forecast for Sunday. Officials conducted dozens of water rescues as debris and mudslides closed highways and raging torrents washed out roads and bridges.
Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes in Burlington, Hallie Golden in Seattle and Jeff Martin in Atlanta contributed.
Floodwaters surround a home after heavy rains led to historic flooding in the region Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Burlington, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Floodwaters cover a road after heavy rains led to historic flooding in the region Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Burlington, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Haji Higa, right, and Lydia Heglin, left, walk through floodwaters at their front door after heavy rains led to historic flooding in the region Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Burlington, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Francis Tarango mops inside her daughters' home damaged by floodwaters in Burlington, Wash., Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
"E-man" Trujillo uses a jet-ski to pull his children in a canoe as the family's horses graze on high ground in near their front door after heavy rains led to historic flooding in the region Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Burlington, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
"E-man" Trujillo, center, uses a jet-ski to tow a canoe with his children Liam, 6, far left, Julissa, 15, and Benjamin, 5, third from left, as their horses take refuge on the high ground at their front door after heavy rains led to historic flooding in the region Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Burlington, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Floodwater surrounds a home in Burlington, Wash., Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
Men remove a wet carpet from a house damaged by floodwaters in Burlington, Washington, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
Vehicles are partially submerged after heavy rains led to historic flooding in the region, in Burlington, Wash., Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
Fracis Tarango mops inside her daughters' home damaged by floodwaters in Burlington, Wash., Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
A man pushes a truck through a neigbhorhood flooded by the Skagit River on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Burlington. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
An aerial view shows homes surrounded by floodwaters in Snohomish, Wash., Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Emergency crews, including National Guard soldiers, wort in a neighborhood flooded by the Skagit River on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in Burlington, Wash. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
