California Approves Highway Testing for Autonomous Trucks

California's autonomous heavy truck testing has officially entered the public road phase. The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has issued permits to Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI, allowing both companies to test autonomous trucks on state roads, with Kodiak being the first to initiate testing.

New Regulations Open Up Heavy Truck Testing
Kodiak stated that the initial number of test vehicles is limited and primarily focused around its office in Mountain View. According to new regulations updated by the California DMV this spring and approved on April 28, driverless vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds are no longer prohibited from testing on public roads, which also opens regulatory pathways for subsequent commercial deployment.

The California DMV indicated that both companies have met the licensing requirements, including safety standards, insurance, vehicle registration, and the qualifications of safety drivers. Current testing still has clear restrictions: vehicles must be equipped with a human safety driver and, in principle, are not allowed to enter roads with speed limits below 25 miles per hour unless they are part of a direct route between two locations.

Unions File Lawsuit in Opposition
The entry of autonomous trucks onto California highways still faces opposition from labor groups. Last week, Teamsters California sued the California DMV, claiming that the agency bypassed relevant legal requirements and did not conduct research or disclose to the public the potential economic impacts of allowing autonomous trucks on the road.

This lawsuit has been submitted to the Alameda County Superior Court. The plaintiffs also accused the DMV of failing to adequately assess the safety risks that autonomous trucks may pose to other road users.

Companies Return to Domestic Testing
For autonomous truck companies, the significance of the new regulations lies in their ability to advance testing and subsequent deployment in their home state. Both Aurora and Kodiak are headquartered in California, but previously, due to state prohibitions, they primarily conducted testing and operations in Texas.

Aurora launched its autonomous truck service in Texas in May 2025, initially running routes from Dallas to Houston, and later expanded to include Fort Worth, El Paso, Phoenix, and Laredo. Kodiak, on the other hand, began commercial operations of driverless trucks in non-public road environments in the West Texas Permian Basin in January 2025, before expanding to highway routes from Dallas to Houston.

The issuance of testing permits in California signifies that autonomous heavy truck companies have gained a new testing ground in one of the most important tech states in the U.S., further intensifying the debate around regulation, employment, and road safety.

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