Self-driving trucks begin testing on California highways
Original: Self-driving trucks are officially testing on California highways
Why This Matters
California's regulatory shift opens a major new market for autonomous trucking, accelerating industry-wide commercial deployment timelines.
Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI have received California DMV permits to test autonomous trucks on public roads. Kodiak has already deployed a handful of test trucks near its Mountain View office. The permits follow new rules approved April 28, 2026, lifting a ban on autonomous heavy vehicles over 10,000 lbs.
Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI have each received permits from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test self-driving trucks on public highways, with Kodiak already operating a small number of test vehicles near its Mountain View headquarters. The permits were issued under updated California DMV rules approved on April 28, 2026, which lifted a longstanding ban on driverless vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds from testing on public roads and created a regulatory path toward eventual commercial deployment of autonomous heavy-duty trucks. Both companies met DMV criteria covering safety, insurance, vehicle registration, and safety driver qualifications. Testing permits require a human safety operator behind the wheel and prohibit operation on roads with speed limits of 25 mph or below, unless on a direct route between destinations. The development comes amid legal challenges: Teamsters California filed a lawsuit last week in Alameda County Superior Court, alleging the DMV bypassed laws requiring public disclosure of economic and safety impact studies. Aurora and Kodiak, both California-based, had previously concentrated operations in Texas due to California's former restrictions. Aurora launched commercial driverless truck service between Dallas and Houston in May 2025 and has since expanded to multiple routes. Kodiak began driverless commercial operations in January 2025 in the Permian Basin and has since moved to on-highway routes including Dallas–Houston.