# California DMV permits Aurora and Kodiak to test autonomous heavy trucks > Source: > Published: 2026-08-15 01:14:47+00:00 California has issued testing permits to [Aurora Innovation](https://aurora.tech/company?ref=runtimewire) and [Kodiak AI](https://kodiak.ai/company?ref=runtimewire), 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](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/14/self-driving-trucks-are-officially-testing-on-california-highways/?ref=runtimewire). 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](https://ir.aurora.tech/company-information/leadership-team/?ref=runtimewire). 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](https://investors.kodiak.ai/board-member/don-burnette?ref=runtimewire), 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](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/news-and-media/new-autonomous-vehicle-regulations-strengthen-oversight-and-enforcement-authorize-trucks-and-transit/?ref=runtimewire), 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](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/file/final-statement-of-reasons-2025-0415-04-pdf/?ref=runtimewire). 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](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/news-and-media/new-autonomous-vehicle-regulations-strengthen-oversight-and-enforcement-authorize-trucks-and-transit/?ref=runtimewire) 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](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-industry-services/autonomous-vehicles/autonomous-vehicle-testing-permit-holders/?ref=runtimewire), 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](https://ir.aurora.tech/_assets/aurora/sec/0001828108-26-000046/0001828108-26-000046.pdf?ref=runtimewire). Aurora reported [$2 million in second-quarter 2026 revenue and a $266 million operating loss](https://ir.aurora.tech/sec-filings/all-sec-filings/content/0001828108-26-000075/aurora26q2shareholderlet.htm?ref=runtimewire). 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](https://investors.kodiak.ai/news-releases/news-release-details/kodiak-ai-reports-first-quarter-2026-results-announces-100?ref=runtimewire), 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](https://gatik.ai/news/press-releases/gatik-becomes-first-us-company-to-operate-fully-driverless-trucks-at-scale-for-commercial-deliveries/?ref=runtimewire) in Texas, Arkansas and Arizona, with a focus on regional and middle-mile routes. [Waabi announced a $750 million Series C](https://waabi.ai/insights/waabi-secures-1-billion-in-new-funding-to-lead-physical-ai-revolution?ref=runtimewire) in January 2026 for technology spanning autonomous trucks and robotaxis. Daimler Truck-backed [Torc Robotics is integrating its system with the Freightliner Cascadia](https://torc.ai/daimler-trucks-autonomous-ready-fifth-generation-freightliner-cascadia-torc-texas/?ref=runtimewire), while [Plus AI is pursuing factory-integrated autonomous trucks](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/plus-an-ai-based-virtual-driver-software-company-powering-factory-built-autonomous-trucks-to-go-public-via-merger-with-churchill-capital-corp-ix-302474091.html?ref=runtimewire). 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](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/14/self-driving-trucks-are-officially-testing-on-california-highways/?ref=runtimewire). The regulations give emergency officials and the DMV additional controls over autonomous fleets. According to the [DMV's April 28 release](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/news-and-media/new-autonomous-vehicle-regulations-strengthen-oversight-and-enforcement-authorize-trucks-and-transit/?ref=runtimewire), operators must support two-way communication with first responders within 30 seconds. Local emergency officials can direct autonomous vehicles away from an incident using an electronic geofence, and manufacturers must move affected vehicles out of the designated area within two minutes. Law enforcement may issue notices alleging moving violations by an autonomous vehicle. The DMV also says manufacturers must report system failures, immobilizations, hard-braking events, collisions and vehicle miles traveled. Those records, along with the required California mileage, will inform the agency's decisions on subsequent permits while supplying evidence for the safety and labor debate. Aurora and Kodiak can now test heavy trucks on California roads that were closed to such vehicles until April. Their immediate task is narrower than operating a driverless freight network: keep a qualified operator in the cab, document the trucks' performance and accumulate the mileage needed for the next application.