Self-Driving Trucks Are Officially Testing on California Highways

Both companies are headquartered in California but had previously concentrated their autonomous testing in Texas because of their home state's decade-long prohibition .

The April 28, 2026 Rule Change That Made It Possible

On April 28, 2026, the California DMV adopted new autonomous vehicle regulations — described as the most comprehensive AV rules in the state — that for the first time removed the prohibition on operating autonomous heavy-duty vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) over 10,001 pounds on California public roads . The regulations were approved by the Office of Administrative Law the same day .

The new rules did more than lift the heavy-vehicle ban. They created a structured, phased permitting pathway:

• Companies must first accumulate 500,000 miles of supervised (drivered) testing before applying for a driverless testing permit.
• A second tranche of 500,000 driverless miles is required before applying for commercial deployment .
• Each phase requires submission of a formal safety case .

Enforcement also tightened significantly. As of July 1, 2026, law enforcement officers can issue a "Notice of AV Noncompliance" when a driverless vehicle commits a moving violation — and manufacturers must respond within 72 hours . This closes a loophole that had gained attention in September 2025, when San Bruno police could not ticket a robotaxi that ran a red light .

Testing Conditions: Safety Drivers and Route Limits

Both permits issued to Aurora and Kodiak are strictly "drivered" permits — meaning a human safety driver must be behind the wheel at all times . No driverless testing is authorized at this stage.

Additional restrictions include a prohibition on operating on roads with speed limits of 25 mph or less, except when necessary to reach a direct route . Kodiak confirmed its testing is focused on highways, with some surface street driving included .

Prior Texas Operations: Proving Ground Before California

Aurora Innovation launched the first commercial driverless trucking service in the U.S. on May 1, 2025, operating Class 8 autonomous trucks on a regular roundtrip route between Dallas and Houston without a human occupant in the vehicle . The company has since expanded routes from that initial corridor .

Kodiak AI began commercial driverless operations in the Permian Basin (Texas) in January 2025, hauling freight autonomously in the oilfield region before applying for its California permit . Both companies had logged millions of autonomous miles on Texas highways before seeking California permits under the new rules .

The Teamsters Lawsuit: An "Existential Threat" to Jobs

On August 5, 2026, Teamsters California filed a lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court against the California DMV and other state agencies, seeking to void the April 28 regulations . The union's core argument centers on process, not technology itself.

Key allegations in the lawsuit:

• The DMV used an improper rulemaking shortcut — a "notice of regulatory change" intended for rules with less than $50 million in first-year economic impact — which allowed it to bypass full economic impact studies and public disclosure requirements .
• The union argues the DMV failed to study the economic and safety risks of allowing autonomous heavy-duty trucks on public roads, thereby denying the public meaningful input .
• The lawsuit claims the regulations threaten 200,000 to 400,000 truck driving jobs in California . The Teamsters have described the rules as an "existential threat" to the workforce .

The lawsuit does not challenge the safety of autonomous technology directly; rather, it argues that the DMV skipped a legally required deeper economic review — a standardized regulatory impact assessment that California law demands once a regulation's projected cost clears rough thresholds .

What Comes Next

California's new AV regulations create the nation's first formal pathway for heavy-duty autonomous freight operations, but progress through the three-phase gate system will be measured in years. Aurora and Kodiak are now the first companies in line, but only time — and the courts — will tell how quickly that line moves.

The Teamsters lawsuit is scheduled to proceed in Alameda County Superior Court, with oral arguments expected in the coming months. A ruling that voids the regulations could send the DMV back to the rulemaking stage, potentially delaying heavy-duty autonomous testing in California by years. If the rules survive the legal challenge, the next milestone to watch is whether either company reaches the 500,000 supervised-mile threshold required for a driverless testing permit.