Kodiak signs first public-highway driverless truck contract with DTL

Kodiak AI has agreed to supply freight carrier DTL Transport with 75 autonomous trucks, with deliveries beginning in 2028, the company said. The agreement is Kodiak’s first binding commercial contract covering driverless trucks for public highways. Financial terms were not disclosed.

California-based DTL, which transports fresh produce and supplies grocery chains, plans to deploy the vehicles on several interstate routes. Its initial routes will connect Dallas with El Paso, Texas, and Dallas with Atlanta via Interstate 20. Kodiak has previously tested and operated trucks on both routes.

The agreement makes DTL Kodiak’s first highway customer under its Driver-as-a-Service model. Customers own and run the vehicles while licensing Kodiak’s technology for a fee based on mileage. By contrast, Kodiak owns and operates trucks in its existing freight-hauling service for customers including Charger USA, Roehl Transport and Werner Enterprises.

The DTL relationship followed a California pilot in which Kodiak transported perishable cargo roughly 225 miles between Fresno and Los Angeles using Interstate 5 and California State Route 99. A safety operator remained at the wheel during that pilot.

Separately, Kodiak plans to remove onboard safety operators for a driverless highway service starting in December. The planned launch involves hauling Ikea goods between Dallas and Houston via Interstate 45.

Kodiak already supplies its technology to Atlas Energy Solutions for off-road operations in West Texas’ Permian Basin. Atlas has been a Driver-as-a-Service customer since 2024 and currently owns and operates 35 trucks using Kodiak’s system.