DTL Transport to Deploy 75 Kodiak Driverless Trucks on Interstate Lanes

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 off Permian Basin sand hauling and onto interstate freight lanes. One caveat stands out: Kodiak has yet to run a driverless truck on a public highway. The company is ranked No. 12 on 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 with more than 36 years hauling dry and refrigerated freight, 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 trucks 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.

Which lanes come first?

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.

The economics target hours-of-service pain. Federal rules bar a property-carrying driver from driving more than 11 hours within a 14-hour window after 10 consecutive hours off duty, so carriers run teams to keep freight moving. 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.

What preceded the deal?

A September pilot laid the groundwork. 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.

When does Kodiak go driverless on highways?

Not yet. Kodiak plans to launch driverless highway service by the end of this year, hauling IKEA freight on Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston. It 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.

The Permian Basin operation remains the only driverless revenue base. As of June 30, Kodiak's 35 customer-owned driverless trucks ran for Atlas Energy Solutions there. Kodiak has committed to growing that fleet to 100 trucks by mid-2027.

The financial picture shows a company still investing ahead of revenue. Kodiak 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. Third-quarter earnings are set for release Thursday, Nov. 5, after market close.

For shippers, the commercial logic is straightforward: driverless trucks suit team expedite work, where freight must keep moving past a solo driver's hours limit. But DTL cannot put that advantage to work on its 75 trucks until Kodiak closes its long-haul safety case and launches driverless operations on public highways.