Magnit, one of Russia's leading retailers, has successfully completed a test run along a new route using Navio's autonomous truck — traveling from its distribution center in St. Petersburg to its destination in Zelenodolsk (Republic of Tatarstan). Part of the journey took place on the new M‑12 "Vostok" highway. Including the return trip to St. Petersburg, the total distance covered with commercial cargo was approximately 3,000 kilometers. This makes the round‑trip route the longest autonomous logistics corridor in Russia.
For the main — and longest — section of the route, which includes the M‑11, the Central Ring Road (ЦКАД), and the M‑12, the autonomous truck was operated by an AI driver. The results of this test run have already demonstrated that autonomous technology can make logistics more efficient by cutting delivery time from St. Petersburg to Kazan by approximately 2.5 times.
For context, a driver‑compliant trip (including mandatory rest periods) from St. Petersburg to Kazan typically takes around 58 hours. Deploying an autonomous truck on this route reduces travel time to just 24 hours.