Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI, both engaged in the development of autonomous trucks, have obtained permits from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for testing their self-driving technology on public roads. Kodiak has already commenced its testing operations.
Kodiak has initiated its testing program with several trucks in California, focusing mainly around its office in Mountain View.
The two companies applied for testing permits this past spring, following the introduction of updated regulations by the California DMV. These regulations, which were approved on April 28, lifted a previous ban on testing driverless vehicles over 10,000 pounds on public routes, creating a regulatory framework for the trial and eventual integration of autonomous heavy-duty vehicles.
Both Kodiak and Aurora successfully met the DMV’s permit requirements, which include stipulations regarding safety measures, insurance, vehicle registration, and the qualifications of safety drivers. The permits mandate the presence of a human safety operator at the controls and restrict operations on roads with speed limits of 25 miles per hour or less, unless on a designated “direct route” between points.
Despite these limitations, the advancement of self-driving trucks on highways in California has stirred significant opposition.
Last week, the Teamsters union in California filed a lawsuit against the DMV, alleging that the agency bypassed legal requirements to evaluate and publicly share the economic implications of permitting autonomous trucks on public roads. The suit, lodged in a Superior Court in Alameda County, also accuses the DMV of neglecting to assess potential safety risks to other drivers.
The new regulations enable autonomous vehicle companies to test and eventually implement their technologies within their local jurisdictions.
Both Aurora and Kodiak are headquartered in California; however, they have predominantly directed their testing efforts in Texas due to California’s earlier ban on autonomous heavy-duty trucks. Aurora launched a self-driving truck service in Texas in May 2025, beginning with a route from Dallas to Houston, and has since expanded its operations to include various additional routes connecting Fort Worth and El Paso, El Paso and Phoenix, Fort Worth and Phoenix, as well as Laredo and Dallas.
Kodiak initiated its commercial driverless truck operations in January 2025 in a controlled off-road setting in the remote Permian Basin of West Texas. The company has since advanced to highway logistics, including a route between Dallas and Houston.
