California permits autonomous truck testing on public roads

Autonomous vehicle developers Aurora Innovation and Kodiak Robotics have received permits from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test self-driving trucks on public roads. These permits follow updated state regulations approved in April that lifted a previous ban on testing driverless vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds.

Kodiak Robotics, based in Mountain View, has already begun testing a small number of trucks. While companies have previously focused testing in Texas, these new rules allow developers to operate in their home state. The permits require a human safety operator to be present behind the wheel and prohibit operation on roads with speed limits of 25 miles per hour or less, unless on a direct route.

The regulatory shift has faced opposition from the Teamsters union. The union has filed a lawsuit against the DMV, alleging the agency failed to study the economic impacts on workers and ignored potential safety risks to motorists. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the legislation allowing these tests, despite union demands for mandatory human drivers on all autonomous commercial vehicles.