California launches first autonomous freight pilot with Kodiak AI

California’s highways have a new kind of trucker — and this one doesn’t need a lunch break.

A robot truck is now hauling loads of California produce down the highway, giving the state its first real-world glimpse at autonomous freight while a human safety driver keeps watch from the cab.

Kodiak AI and Fresno-based DTL Transport launched the pilot Sept. 22, using autonomous trucks to move perishable loads from Fresno to a Los Angeles distribution center.

The roughly 225-mile run takes the trucks along major California arteries, including State Route 99 and Interstate 5.

The experiment comes after California opened its public roads to heavy-duty autonomous truck testing, giving companies a chance to put their futuristic rigs through their paces on actual highways.

Kodiak, which was founded in Mountain View, received its permit Aug. 13. But the robot truckers aren’t completely on their own just yet.

A human safety driver must remain in the cab, and the company is not currently allowed to operate fully driverless commercial trucks.

There is a sizable milestone standing between Kodiak and that next step.

Autonomous trucking companies must rack up at least 500,000 miles with a safety driver before they can apply for fully driverless commercial deployment.

For DTL, the pilot is about finding out whether robot trucks can help pick up the slack when freight demand outpaces the company’s available fleet.

The company also wants to see whether the technology can cut shipping costs, speed up deliveries and keep its produce fresher along the way.

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“Our work with Kodiak helps us understand how embracing this cutting-edge technology improves safety, increases margins,” DTL President and CEO Lucky Dosanjh said.

The companies have not yet released findings from the pilot.

“California’s comprehensive autonomous vehicle regulations are a major unlock for freight innovation in our home state,” Kodiak founder and CEO Don Burnette said.

The Fresno-to-Los Angeles run also puts Kodiak into an increasingly crowded California autonomous-trucking race.

Aurora Innovation is testing its heavy-duty autonomous system with safety drivers, while Gatik AI is working on shorter middle-mile freight routes and PlusAI is developing software that can be added to existing fleet trucks.

And the robot revolution is hardly limited to big rigs.

Tesla, Waymo and Amazon’s Zoox currently hold California permits focused primarily on passenger vehicles and robotaxis, putting autonomous cars and trucks on an increasingly familiar sight across the state’s roads.