California Begins Public Testing of Driverless Trucks Under New DMV Rules

California's updated autonomous vehicle regulations, which took effect in April 2026, created a permitting pathway for heavy-duty autonomous vehicles over 10,000 pounds. Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI have now received DMV permits and begun testing on public highways.

It's important to be precise about what's actually authorized: this is the start of a staged process — testing with a human safety driver first, then driverless testing, and only later a path to commercial deployment — not an immediate green light for fully driverless commercial freight.

Each phase requires 500,000 miles of testing before a company can advance to the next stage, plus a comprehensive safety case submitted to the DMV for review. Current permits require a human safety operator behind the wheel.

Kodiak has already started running trucks, primarily around its Mountain View operations. Testing is prohibited on roads with a posted speed limit of 25 mph or under, unless the route is a direct connection between two points that requires it.

The practical upshot: California's long-standing effective ban on heavy-duty autonomous trucks is now lifted in the sense that a legal path exists, but full driverless commercial operation on state highways is still phases away, gated by mileage requirements and DMV sign-off at each step.