# 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.

_Source: Kodiak Robotics official announcement, California DMV permit records, and TechCrunch reporting · 2026-08-15 · 7 min read · Verified against primary sources_

Canonical: https://iyu.app/e/california-autonomous-truck-testing

## 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.

## Full explainer

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.

> **i** A testing permit allows supervised evaluation under defined conditions. It is not approval to run a commercial freight service without a driver.


### Permit scope — What 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.

- **April 28** — date the new testing rules took effect
- **2** — companies identified as receiving permits in the initial reporting
- **1 operator** — human safety presence required in each test truck


### Early operations — A 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 boundary — What 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.

> **⚑ Caveat:** Claims by autonomous-truck developers about future safety gains, efficiency, or job creation are forward-looking vendor statements unless independently demonstrated under comparable conditions.


### Legal challenge — The 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 follows — The 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.


## Primary sources

- [Kodiak — California DMV autonomous-truck testing permit](https://www.kodiak.ai/news/kodiak-california-dmv-autonomous-truck-testing-permit)
- [California DMV — Autonomous vehicle testing permit holders](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-industry-services/autonomous-vehicles/autonomous-vehicle-testing-permit-holders/)
- [TechCrunch — Self-driving trucks begin testing on California highways](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/14/self-driving-trucks-are-officially-testing-on-california-highways/)

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