Kodiak AI gets California DMV permit to test autonomous trucks

Kodiak AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: KDK) announced it received a drivered testing permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles on Aug. 13, 2026, allowing the company to operate heavy-duty autonomous trucks on California public roads with a human safety driver aboard.

The permit was issued under the DMV's expanded Autonomous Vehicle Tester program, which began allowing heavy-duty autonomous vehicle developers to test on California roads following new regulations the agency approved on April 28. Previously, the state's permitting framework did not cover heavy-duty commercial autonomous vehicles.

The DMV's permitting structure follows a phased approach, progressing from drivered testing to driver-out testing and, ultimately, driver-out deployment. Kodiak's current permit covers only the first phase, which requires a safety driver to be present in the vehicle at all times.

"California's comprehensive autonomous vehicle regulations are a major unlock for freight innovation," said Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak. "This permit allows us to begin the first phase of scaling autonomous trucking coast-to-coast, while ensuring appropriate safety oversight from California regulators."

Daniel Goff, vice president of external affairs at Kodiak, said the state's autonomous trucking regulations were more than a decade in the making and involved input from a range of stakeholders.

Kodiak, based in Mountain View, California, develops autonomous driving technology for long-haul trucking, industrial trucking, and defense applications.

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