California Opens Heavy-Duty AV Testing to Aurora and Kodiak
Aurora and Kodiak received California permits to test autonomous heavy-duty trucks with safety drivers. The permits follow new DMV rules that create a path from drivered testing to driverless testing and commercial deployment.
Permits begin a new California phase
Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI have received California permits to test autonomous heavy-duty trucks with safety drivers behind the wheel, opening a new phase for autonomous freight development in the state.
Heavy Duty Trucking reported that the permits were issued under the California Department of Motor Vehicles' expanded Autonomous Vehicle Tester program. California-based autonomous truck developers had been testing elsewhere because the state's earlier rules did not allow heavy-duty autonomous trucks on public roads.
Gatik and Plus.ai are also listed as permit holders on the DMV website, according to the report.
The rule sets a staged path
The California DMV enacted rules in April 2026 allowing commercial trucks and other vehicles over 10,000 pounds to operate autonomously on public roads, but the path is staged.
Manufacturers must begin with safety-driver testing, then move to driverless testing before applying for commercial deployment. The rule requires 500,000 miles of testing at each phase and a structured safety case covering vehicle hardware, software, and operations.
Heavy-duty autonomous vehicles also must stop at California Highway Patrol weigh stations and comply with applicable state and federal commercial motor vehicle requirements. The rules restrict testing on roads with speed limits of 25 mph or less unless the vehicle is traveling on a direct route between destinations.
Labor challenge remains unresolved
The rollout is not uncontested. The Teamsters are challenging the DMV rules in court, keeping the policy debate alive even as testing begins.
For fleet operators, the immediate takeaway is not driverless deployment tomorrow. It is that one of the country's most important vehicle markets now has a formal heavy-duty AV testing framework. Fleets watching autonomous trucking should track safety-driver miles, operating domains, insurance requirements, and how regulators handle the first move from testing toward commercial service.
