Testing of Self-Driving Trucks Launches on California Highways

Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI, two companies pioneering self-driving truck technology, have secured permits from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test their autonomous vehicles on public roads. Kodiak has already started its testing operations.

Kodiak has announced the commencement of tests with a limited number of trucks in California, primarily around its Mountain View office.

Both firms applied for testing permits this spring under new regulations approved by the California DMV, which governs autonomous vehicles in the state. These regulations, endorsed on April 28, removed the previous ban on testing driverless vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds on public roads and created a framework for companies to trial and, ultimately, deploy autonomous heavy-duty vehicles.

As stated by the DMV, both Kodiak and Aurora met the requirements for gaining permits, which encompass safety protocols, insurance, vehicle registration, qualifications for safety drivers, and other stipulations. The permits necessitate having a human safety operator present at the controls and prevent companies from operating in areas where the posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour or lower, except when taking a “direct route” between defined destinations.

In spite of these restrictions, the introduction of self-driving trucks on California highways has faced pushback.

Recently, Teamsters California filed a lawsuit against the DMV, alleging that the agency failed to fulfill legal obligations to evaluate and publicly disclose the potential economic impacts of allowing self-driving trucks on public streets. The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County’s Superior Court, also claimed that the DMV overlooked safety risks posed to other drivers.

For autonomous vehicle developers, the newly established regulations open the door for testing and eventual rollout in their home state.

Both Aurora and Kodiak are based in California, but they had previously focused their testing and deployment efforts in Texas due to restrictions on autonomous heavy-duty trucks in their home state. Aurora launched its self-driving truck service in Texas in May 2025, beginning with a route connecting Dallas to Houston. The company has since added more routes, including those between Fort Worth and El Paso, El Paso and Phoenix, Fort Worth and Phoenix, and Laredo and Dallas.

Kodiak initiated its commercial driverless truck operations in January 2025 in an off-road environment in the remote Permian Basin of West Texas. It has since expanded into on-highway operations, including a route linking Dallas and Houston.