Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI, two companies developing autonomous trucking technology, have received permits from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test self-driving trucks on public roads. Kodiak has already begun testing.
Kodiak said it is initially deploying a small number of test trucks in California, primarily around its Mountain View headquarters.
Both companies applied for testing permits this spring under updated regulations approved by the California DMV. The rules, adopted April 28, removed the previous ban on testing driverless vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds on public roads and established a regulatory pathway for companies to test and eventually deploy autonomous heavy-duty trucks.
According to the DMV, Aurora and Kodiak met the requirements for receiving permits, including standards related to safety, insurance, vehicle registration, and the qualifications of safety drivers. Under the current permits, a human safety operator must remain behind the wheel, while the trucks cannot operate on roads with posted speed limits of 25 miles per hour or less unless they are traveling along a “direct route” between destinations.
Even with those restrictions, the arrival of autonomous trucks on California highways continues to face opposition.
Last week, Teamsters California filed a lawsuit against the state DMV, claiming the agency bypassed laws requiring it to study and publicly disclose the potential economic consequences of permitting autonomous trucks on public roads. The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, also alleges that the DMV failed to adequately consider the potential safety risks for other motorists.
For autonomous trucking companies, however, the updated regulations open the door to testing and eventually operating in their home state.
Aurora and Kodiak are both headquartered in California, but until recently concentrated much of their testing and commercial operations in Texas because California prohibited autonomous heavy-duty trucks.
Aurora launched its commercial self-driving trucking service in Texas in May 2025, initially operating between Dallas and Houston. Since then, it has expanded its network to additional routes, including Fort Worth to El Paso, El Paso to Phoenix, Fort Worth to Phoenix, and Laredo to Dallas.
Kodiak began commercial driverless truck deliveries in January 2025 in an off-road setting in the remote Permian Basin of West Texas. The company has since moved into highway operations, including a route connecting Dallas and Houston.
The new California permits represent an important step for both companies as autonomous trucking moves from testing in a handful of states toward broader deployment on major US highways.
