Self-driving trucks are officially testing on California highways
Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI have received permits to test autonomous heavy-duty trucks on California highways. While the companies view this as a regulatory milestone, the move faces legal opposition from the Teamsters union regarding safety and economic impacts.
Why it matters
The deployment of autonomous trucking could significantly disrupt the logistics and transportation labor markets.
Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI, two companies developing self-driving trucks, have received permits from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test their autonomous vehicle technology on public roads. And Kodiak has already started.
Kodiak said it is starting with a handful of test trucks in California, primarily around its Mountain View office.
Both companies applied for testing permits this spring under updated rules approved by the California DMV, the agency that regulates autonomous vehicles in the state. Those rules, approved April 28, lifted a ban on driverless vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds from testing on public roads and provided a regulatory path for companies to test, and eventually deploy, autonomous heavy-duty vehicles.
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