California Allows Supervised Autonomous Truck Tests
Kodiak and Aurora received permits under California’s new rules, allowing limited highway testing with human safety operators rather than commercial driverless service.
The 60-second version
California now permits Kodiak and Aurora to conduct limited autonomous heavy-truck tests with human safety operators under rules effective April 28.
Key points
- Kodiak says a handful of trucks have begun testing near Mountain View.
- A human safety operator is required, and low-speed roads are generally excluded except when needed for a direct route.
- The permits are not statewide authorization for commercial driverless freight.
- The Teamsters' California lawsuit challenging the DMV process is unresolved, and company forecasts remain forward-looking claims.
Verdict. Autonomous trucks have entered a supervised California testing phase; permission for driverless commercial operation has not been granted.
California has authorized Kodiak and Aurora to test autonomous heavy trucks under rules effective April 28. Kodiak says a handful are operating near Mountain View, but a human safety operator is required and the permits do not authorize statewide commercial driverless trucking.
Permit scopeWhat California now allows
| Permit holders discussed | Kodiak and Aurora received autonomous heavy-truck testing permits. |
|---|---|
| Human supervision | A safety operator must be present and able to control the vehicle. |
| Low-speed roads | Roads posted at 25 mph or less are excluded unless needed for a direct route. |
| Commercial driverless service | Not authorized statewide by these testing permits. |
Early operationsA small trial near Mountain View
Kodiak says it has begun with a handful of vehicles near Mountain View. That can generate operational evidence, but it does not establish readiness for unsupervised use across California’s varied freight routes.
Testing permission is evidence of regulatory eligibility to test, not evidence that driverless commercial deployment has been approved.
Regulatory boundaryWhat the permits do not decide
The permits do not set a date for removing the safety operator, confer general commercial operating authority, validate a company’s safety forecast, or resolve the effects on trucking employment.
Legal challengeThe rulemaking remains contested
The Teamsters' California organization alleges in a lawsuit that the DMV bypassed required economic and safety analysis. The litigation is unresolved, so the allegation should not be presented as a judicial finding.
What followsThe evidence to watch next
- Changes in the number, location, and operating conditions of permitted trucks.
- Collision, disengagement, or safety-operator intervention information when reported.
- Any later application or rule for testing or operating without a safety operator.
- The court’s treatment of the Teamsters challenge and any resulting agency action.
California has opened a controlled supervised-testing phase. Broader driverless commercial operation, its safety case, and its labor consequences remain separate and unsettled questions.