SAEDNEWS: Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI have secured California permits to test autonomous heavy-duty trucks on public roads, with Kodiak already beginning limited testing near Mountain View. The new rules have also prompted a lawsuit from Teamsters California over safety and economic-impact concerns.
According to SaedNews: Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI have received permits from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test self-driving trucks on public roads, marking a new phase for autonomous heavy-duty vehicles in the state. Kodiak has already begun with a small number of test trucks, mainly operating near its Mountain View office.
The companies applied this spring under updated DMV regulations approved April 28. The changes removed a previous prohibition on driverless vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds being tested on public roads and established a regulatory route toward testing and eventual deployment of autonomous heavy-duty trucks.
The DMV said both companies satisfied requirements covering safety, insurance, registration, qualified safety drivers and other criteria. The permits require a human safety operator to remain behind the wheel and restrict testing on roads with posted speed limits of 25 mph or below, except when traveling on a “direct route” between destinations.
The new rules have nevertheless drawn opposition. Teamsters California sued the state DMV last week in Alameda County Superior Court, claiming the agency bypassed laws requiring studies and public disclosure of the potential economic effects of allowing self-driving trucks on public roads. The union also alleged that the DMV did not adequately consider risks to motorists.
The permits give Aurora and Kodiak a way to test and eventually deploy autonomous trucks in California, where both companies are headquartered. Until recently, however, their testing and commercial operations were concentrated in Texas because California prohibited autonomous heavy-duty trucks.
Aurora launched commercial self-driving truck service in Texas in May 2025, initially operating between Dallas and Houston. It has since added routes linking Fort Worth with El Paso and Phoenix, as well as El Paso-Phoenix and Laredo-Dallas. Kodiak began commercial driverless deliveries in January 2025 in the remote Permian Basin of West Texas and later expanded its autonomous operations onto highways, including the Dallas-Houston route.
