Meet Kaleb Shird: Remote Skidder Operator
May 12, 2025
by Kodama Systems
We’re excited to introduce Kaleb, one of our newest remote skidder operators. Kaleb is the first of his kind—an experienced logger now running equipment on commercial job sites using our remote-controlled system, Kodama Autopilot™. With a passion for forestry and a strong interest in technology, Kaleb embodies the prospect of logging innovation. We sat down with him to hear about his journey to Kodama and his experience operating Autopilot.
Q: What’s your background in forestry, and what drew you to remote operation?
I've been in logging for close to 15 years now. I got started right after graduating high school in 2011. In fact, the day after graduation, I was already out on a logging site running a skidder on a family job. I'm a fourth-generation logger—born and raised in the woods of East Texas—so it’s always felt natural to me. Logging is just part of who I am.
I started on the skidder because I already had some prior, you know, experience in the woods of growing up as a teenager. My dad had me out there pretty much every school break. I've had a little time on the loaders and then shears, you know. Skidders are kind of like entry level machines and they're also what we consider mostly designed for young guys. Stump jumping all day is pretty rough on your body.
Q: What did you think about remote controlled skidding before Kodama?
I had a general awareness of remote operation technology. I knew people had tried applying it to logging equipment before, and, since I try to stay up to date with advancements in forestry, it definitely caught my interest. When I first learned about what Kodama was doing, I was immediately intrigued—and I knew I wanted to be a part of it.
There's all kinds of excuses to come up with why a current technology can't work. But I’ve watched this industry evolve over the years. You know, my dad used to be a saw hand when he first started. When we had our family company the delimber put an end to the saw hand. So when I seen the Kodama job offering, I figured this was the next step in that evolutionary process of logging.
Q: What was your first impression like running a skidder remotely compared to being in the cab?
At first, it was a bit surreal. I wasn’t used to the idea. When [Kodama] sent me the system, and I started operating a skidder in California—from Texas—it was a wild concept to wrap my head around. The fact that you can control one of our machines from practically anywhere in the country is incredible. I was blown away by the adaptability and ability to transition from being an in-person operator to a remote operator by how seamless Kodama made [Autopilot].
Q: Did anything about Autopilot stand out?
All the core functions were there from the start—throttle control, speed settings, forward, reverse, neutral—it all worked smoothly. Y'all got all the basics there. You know how fast you're going and there on the screen you had the diff locks and the lights etc. So like that's naturally there for anybody that's been in the cab of a skidder. It was comforting to see that you already thought that far ahead. It's gonna get in the mud. It's gonna be a skidder. It's gonna do skidder things.
Q: How would you describe the change in visibility?
I like it a lot more than being in the cab. You have 360° view of your skidder at all times. We have the zoom feature where you can focus in on one camera. I prefer to have the whole visualization of the skidder 'cause I can see beside both sides, front and back, and it makes me more comfortable as an operator because I now could see everything going on. Some skidder drivers in the cab won't admit that they very rarely look behind their back right corner because they got to turn all the way around to do it – its awkward. Now, it's not awkward. Now I have complete visibility there, so there's like no blind spots running it remotely.
What Kaleb sees when using Autopilot to remote control his machine.
Q: Is there any fatigue operating remotely?
I see where you can get some kind of mental fatigue there, but overall for me, I don't. I'm less fatigued now as a remote operator than if I was in the cab. I mean, you got to think when you're in the cab, you're climbing up and down a lot too. If something hits the skidder or something happens while driving in the cab, you've got to get out and go look. Now I don't have to get out and look - I see 360° like I was saying earlier. So if a stick or whatever hits the side of the skidder, I see it. I'm not exhausted at the end of the day and I'm not slugging through the week, you know, like I would be if I was in the cab working manually like that for 12-14 hours a day.
You don't have to turn around when operating remotely. You already see your backwards cameras with the press of a button. So all the strenuous movements and then everything you gotta do to twist and turn in the time that it takes to do that - I don't have to do that anymore.
Q: Has the Autopilot system changed your operator style?
I think it's made me more efficient as far as being a remote operator because its been easier getting that workflow going, you're getting that rhythm established as a skidder driver.
It's crucial to make all your movements count, make all your steps count to get the most maximum efficient wood flow to the set landing ramp. And being remote, I can maximize those even better. So you're coming up on the wood, you see it better you see it more clearly. I'm not wasting as much time as I would be as if I'm pulling up then I have to turn around and back up and then go. I see it all in one go so it's one fluid motion.
Q: How does it feel not commuting out to the woods?
I'm used to waking up several hours early to get to the job site either at daylight or get there a little bit before daylight. Now I wake up, fix me some breakfast and I get ready to plug in to work. You know, it's a complete game-changer.
Q: How have you adjusted to using Autopilot?
I was used to, you know, playing video games and stuff, so I was able to adapt to the controller that we have set up a lot easier than I would say most loggers would be. But it is simple enough that I do believe if I any logger wanted to pick this machine or the system up and run it, they'd be able to do it within a reasonable amount of time.
You can't get rid of your instincts if you've been in the seat long enough and you have those instinctual feelings, they're still there. So when I see the skidder tilt I lean forward or I hit a stump, my gut reaction is still the same. I still feel like I'm in the cab even though now I'm hundreds of miles away from my machine in an office chair, you know?
I think though, if you've never run a skidder before, you probably could do it without even being in the cab. You’d have to be a little bit more careful. I think the system we have in place is that simple.
Q: How do you think Autopilot will impact the industry?
Autopilot is gonna enable a lot more people to find logging operator jobs. Some folks can't do anything else but operate and others interested in other fields like computers and technology will be interested in this part of forestry. Overall, I think it's going to create more jobs - not take away more jobs.
Q: Anything else?
It has been really enjoyable seeing this technology evolve day by day. You know, it's about the people involved who care about this and they care about the forestry industry which is big. As a 4th generation logger, logging is very near and dear to my heart. I'm real thankful that y'all care about the industry as much as I do.