Kodiak AI signed a binding agreement Wednesday to put its autonomous driving system in 75 trucks owned and operated by DTL Transport, a Fresno, California, carrier that runs cross-country team loads for grocers.
The deal moves Kodiak’s Driver-as-a-Service model from Permian Basin sand hauling onto interstate freight lanes, though Kodiak has yet to run a driverless truck on a public highway. Kodiak is ranked No. 12 in the 2027 FreightTech 25 list.
Under the agreement, DTL will own and operate the trucks and pay Kodiak a per-mile fee to use the Kodiak Driver. DTL, a family-run carrier that has hauled dry and refrigerated freight for more than 36 years, runs a fleet of more than 100 trucks. The release did not disclose the rate, the contract term or when the first of the 75 will run without a driver.
“This binding agreement reinforces what I have said from the beginning: The Driver-As-A-Service business model is tailor-made for commercial trucking,” said Don Burnette, Kodiak’s founder and CEO.
Lanes target hours-of-service limits
DTL will start on two lanes Kodiak has already tested: between Dallas and El Paso, Texas, and on Interstate 20 between Dallas and Atlanta. In 2023, Kodiak began hauling Forward Air freight on the Atlanta lane with teams of safety drivers aboard.
Carriers run teams to get past a solo driver’s limits under federal hours-of-service rules, which bar a property-carrying driver from driving more than 11 hours within a 14-hour window after 10 consecutive hours off duty.
Kodiak said the two routes give DTL the opportunity to operate beyond current service-hour limitations, with more lanes to be added over time. The release did not say whether the driverless trucks will replace DTL’s teams on those lanes.
“By integrating this technology into our fleet, complementing our experienced, professional workforce, we can expand capacity, enhance safety and drive innovation forward,” said Lucky Dosanjh, DTL’s president and CEO.
California pilot preceded the deal
The agreement follows a September pilot in which the Kodiak Driver hauled perishable goods for DTL 225 miles from Fresno to Los Angeles on Interstate 5 and State Route 99. A safety driver stayed behind the wheel, as required by the testing permit the California Department of Motor Vehicles granted Kodiak in August, Heavy Duty Trucking reported.
Kodiak said those were the first commercial goods autonomously hauled by a Class 8 truck in California.
Kodiak’s highway launch still ahead
Kodiak plans to launch driverless highway service by the end of this year, hauling IKEA freight on Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston, and still has to close its long-haul safety case. Its Autonomy Readiness Measure reached 93% at the end of August, up from 84% in February.
As of June 30, Kodiak’s 35 customer-owned driverless trucks ran for Atlas Energy Solutions in the Permian Basin. Kodiak has committed to growing that fleet to 100 trucks by mid-2027.
The company reported second-quarter revenue of $3.5 million, up from $503,000 a year earlier, and a $43.7 million operating loss. It ended June with $151.1 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. Kodiak AI’s third-quarter earnings are set to release Thursday, Nov. 5 after market close.
Why it matters: Driverless trucks suit team expedite work, where freight has to keep moving past a solo driver’s hours limit. DTL can’t put that to work on its 75 trucks until Kodiak closes its long-haul safety case and launches driverless on public highways.
