Technology and Science14 August, 20262 min read
California DMV Grants Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI Permits to Test Autonomous Trucks
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DMV grants testing permits to Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI for autonomous trucks. Kodiak has begun testing with multiple trucks near Mountain View, California.
7 outlets told this the same way.
DMV permits for testing
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles has granted permits to Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI to test self-driving technology on public roads, opening a new phase of heavy truck testing in the state. The permits were issued after the DMV updated its rules for autonomous vehicles on April 28, lifting a ban on testing driverless vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds on public roads. TechCrunch said Kodiak is starting with a handful of test trucks in California, primarily around its Mountain View office, and that both companies applied for testing permits this spring under the updated rules.
The DMV said the companies met permitting criteria including safety, insurance, vehicle registration, and the training of safety drivers, while the permits require a human safety operator to be behind the wheel. The permits also prohibit operation on roads where the posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour or less, unless the trucks are on a “direct route” between destinations.
Teamsters sues DMV
Opposition to the new California framework has come from Teamsters California, which filed a lawsuit against the DMV in the Alameda County Superior Court. TechCrunch reported that the lawsuit alleges the DMV “circumvented laws requiring it to study and publicly disclose the possible economic impacts of allowing self-driving trucks on public roads.” Carscoops said the union argues the deployment of self-driving trucks authorized by the regulatory changes has the potential to “eventually wipe out the jobs of more than 200,000 employee semi-truck drivers working across California.”
Carscoops also quoted the lawsuit’s claim that the DMV never weighed how the safety of other motorists would suffer once they’re forced to share the road with self-driving trucks “that are still being tested and have not been validated.” In the same dispute, Transporte.mx said the filing was submitted on August 5 before the Alameda County Superior Court and sought to have the provisions approved in April annulled.
Phased rollout and next steps
Kodiak’s permit is part of a phased permitting approach described in the coverage, progressing from drivered testing to driver-out testing and, ultimately, driver-out deployment. The Manila Times said Kodiak obtained a permit under the state’s new regulations on August 13, 2026, allowing permitted heavy-duty autonomous vehicle developers to test and deploy their technology on California roads for the first time with a safety driver behind the wheel. In a statement carried by The Manila Times, Don Burnette said, “California’s comprehensive autonomous vehicle regulations are a major unlock for freight innovation,” and said the permit allows Kodiak to begin “the first phase of scaling autonomous trucking coast-to-coast.”
The Manila Times also quoted Daniel Goff saying the regulations are “the result of extensive input and thorough reviews from a diverse set of stakeholders,” and that they enable innovation while providing “appropriate oversight and enforcement mechanisms.” Meanwhile, the legal challenge remains active, with TechCrunch describing Teamsters California’s lawsuit as filed in the state’s Superior Court in Alameda County and seeking to block the new rules that allow testing and deployment of heavy trucks on state roads.