Heavy-duty autonomous trucks are officially rolling on California roads. Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI have received permits to test their self-driving Class 8 trucks on public roads, marking a key step toward large-scale automated freight corridors.
What did California change?
The California DMV’s updated rules, approved on April 28, lifted the ban on testing driverless vehicles over 10,000 pounds on public roads. This allows companies to:
- test autonomous driving systems on real heavy trucks,
- collect data under real-world operating conditions,
- develop and validate technology closer to their California engineering hubs.
Kodiak has already started running a small fleet of test trucks around its Mountain View office.
Safety constraints and test conditions
The current permits are far from “free roaming” and include strict limitations:
