California DMV 批准 Aurora 和 Kodiak 测试自动驾驶重型卡车

Why it matters

California now allows supervised testing of heavy autonomous trucks, giving Aurora and Kodiak access to a new operating jurisdiction. Each company must document 500,000 autonomous miles before seeking driverless testing and another 500,000 before applying for deployment.

California has issued testing permits to Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI, companies founded by Chris Urmson and Don Burnette, under rules that now allow heavy autonomous trucks on public roads, though Aurora and Kodiak must keep a human safety operator behind the wheel. Kodiak has begun testing a handful of trucks, primarily near its Mountain View headquarters, TechCrunch reported on August 14.

The permits open California roads to supervised heavy-truck testing, but they do not authorize driverless commercial freight service. They put Aurora and Kodiak at the start of a state process that requires 500,000 autonomous miles before a manufacturer can apply for driverless testing, followed by another 500,000 miles before it can seek deployment.

Urmson co-founded Aurora in 2017 with Drew Bagnell and Sterling Anderson, according to Aurora's leadership history. He previously led Carnegie Mellon University's winning team in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge and helped lead Google's self-driving project. Aurora is headquartered in Pittsburgh and has operations in the Bay Area.

Burnette, who founded Kodiak in 2018, also worked on Google's self-driving program. He later co-founded autonomous-truck developer Otto and served as a technical lead at Uber after it acquired Otto in 2016. Kodiak is based in Mountain View and initially concentrated on long-haul freight before extending its technology into industrial and defense vehicles.

A permit with a human still in the cab

The California DMV approved its new autonomous-vehicle regulations on April 28, 2026, ending the state's prohibition on testing and deploying autonomous vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more. The rules establish three successive stages: testing with a safety driver, driverless testing and commercial deployment.

The mileage thresholds apply at the transitions between those stages. Under Title 13 CCR Sections 227.42(a)(1)(B) and 228.08(a)(1)(B), a heavy-duty manufacturer must document 500,000 autonomous miles before applying for a Driverless Testing Permit, then complete another 500,000 autonomous miles before applying for a Deployment Permit. Up to 400,000 miles at each stage may be accumulated outside California, leaving at least 100,000 California miles for the relevant stage, according to the DMV's final statement of reasons.

Applications for driverless testing and deployment must also include a comprehensive safety case describing evidence for the automated driving system, the same rulemaking document says. The DMV says it may impose targeted restrictions involving fleet size, operating location, speed and weather. Heavy autonomous vehicles must stop at California Highway Patrol weigh stations and comply with applicable state and federal commercial-vehicle requirements.

Aurora and Kodiak's current permits prohibit operation on roads with posted speed limits of 25 miles per hour or less unless a truck is following a direct route between destinations, according to TechCrunch. That condition directs the initial programs toward highways while limiting access to lower-speed streets.

Aurora and Kodiak applied during spring 2026 and had received permits by August 14, TechCrunch reported. Exact issuance and effective dates have not been disclosed in the available DMV or company records.

The public roster also leaves an unresolved discrepancy. The DMV's permit-holder page, labeled as of May 8, lists Aurora Operations Inc. as a testing-with-driver permit holder but does not list Kodiak. TechCrunch reported that the DMV said both companies met its safety, insurance, registration and safety-driver qualification criteria. The available records do not show when Kodiak's permit took effect or whether Aurora's existing entry was amended to cover heavy trucks.

Kodiak has disclosed only that a handful of trucks are operating primarily around its Mountain View office. It has not specified the number of trucks, individual routes or miles completed in California. Those omissions make it impossible to estimate when Kodiak could reach the first 500,000-mile threshold.

The cost of advancing to driverless testing

The mileage requirement gives companies credit for extensive testing elsewhere while requiring a meaningful California operating record. It also demands capital and staff before either developer can remove the safety operator.

Aurora had approximately 1,900 employees at the end of 2025, including about 1,600 in engineering and product roles, according to its annual filing. Aurora reported $2 million in second-quarter 2026 revenue and a $266 million operating loss. Aurora held $136 million in cash and $1.081 billion in short-term investments as of June 30. Aurora said it was fully allocated to exit 2026 with 200 driverless trucks in operation. Aurora's California work remains supervised and therefore contributes testing evidence instead of driverless commercial service in the state.

Kodiak entered 2026 with a different operating base. As of March 31, it reported 28 customer-owned driverless vehicles, more than 23,500 paid driverless hours and more than 15,600 cumulative loads. Kodiak also announced a $100 million private investment in public equity financing, with participation from Ares Management and other institutional investors. The California program is smaller than those reported operations and remains subject to a safety driver.

The two companies also face developers pursuing different freight segments and manufacturing strategies. Gatik says it operates driverless commercial deliveries in Texas, Arkansas and Arizona, with a focus on regional and middle-mile routes. Waabi announced a $750 million Series C in January 2026 for technology spanning autonomous trucks and robotaxis. Daimler Truck-backed Torc Robotics is integrating its system with the Freightliner Cascadia, while Plus AI is pursuing factory-integrated autonomous trucks. Torc and Plus have each identified 2027 as a commercial-launch target.

California adds a distinct regulatory benchmark to that competition. A developer must finance supervised testing, document its safety case and progress through separate driverless-testing and deployment applications before generating driverless freight revenue in the state.

Teamsters challenge the rules

The permits arrived after Teamsters California sued the DMV in Alameda County Superior Court. The union alleged that the agency circumvented requirements to study and disclose the potential economic effects of allowing autonomous trucks on public roads and failed to consider risks to motorists, according to TechCrunch.

这些法规赋予应急官员和 DMV 对自动驾驶车队的更多管控权。根据 DMV 于 4 月 28 日的发布，运营方必须在 30 秒内支持与应急人员的双向通信。地方应急官员可以使用电子围栏指示自动驾驶车辆远离事故现场，制造商必须在两分钟内将受影响车辆移出指定区域。执法部门可以对自动驾驶车辆发出涉嫌行驶违规的通知。

DMV 还表示，制造商必须报告系统故障、车辆停驶事件、急刹车事件、碰撞以及车辆行驶里程。这些记录连同所要求的加州里程数，将为该机构对后续许可的决定提供依据，同时为关于安全和劳工的辩论提供证据。

Aurora 和 Kodiak 现在可以在加利福尼亚州的道路上测试重型卡车，此前这些道路直到四月都禁止此类车辆通行。它们眼前的任务比运营无人驾驶货运网络更为狭窄：在驾驶室内保持一名合格操作员，记录卡车的运行表现，并累积下一次申请所需的里程数。