{"id":482274,"date":"2026-10-02T02:36:29","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T02:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/482274\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T02:36:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T02:36:29","slug":"self-driving-big-rigs-roll-into-california-as-driverless-future-comes-into-focus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/482274\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-driving big rigs roll into California as driverless future comes into focus"},"content":{"rendered":"

California’s highways have a new kind of trucker<\/a> \u2014 and this one doesn’t need a lunch break.<\/p>\n

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

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

\"Trucks<\/p>\n

Trucks travel on Interstate 15 in Phelan, California. Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\"Full<\/p>\n

Full crates of harvested grapes are loaded onto a truck. Getty Images\/iStockphoto<\/p>\n

The roughly 225-mile run takes the trucks along major California arteries, including State Route 99 and Interstate 5.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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

\"Don<\/p>\n

Don Burnette, founder and chief executive officer of Kodiak AI Inc., Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n

A human safety driver must remain in the cab, and the company is not currently allowed to operate fully driverless commercial trucks.<\/p>\n

There is a sizable milestone standing between Kodiak and that next step.<\/p>\n

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

\"Farmers<\/p>\n

Farmers load a truck with boxes of avocados during the avocado harvest season. Getty Images<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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

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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 <\/a>said.<\/p>\n

The companies have not yet released findings from the pilot.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The interior of the cab of a self-driving truck. AP<\/p>\n

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

The Fresno-to-Los Angeles run also puts Kodiak into an increasingly crowded California autonomous-trucking race.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A light-blue Zoox autonomous taxi Zoox<\/p>\n

And the robot revolution is hardly limited to big rigs.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n