Kodiak AI has signed a binding commercial agreement to supply 75 autonomous trucks to DTL Transport, marking its first contract for driverless heavy-duty vehicles operating on public highways. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2028.
The agreement, announced Wednesday, represents a significant step in Kodiak’s transition from operating autonomous freight services itself to licensing its technology to trucking companies. Under the arrangement, DTL Transport will deploy trucks equipped with Kodiak’s autonomous driving system across multiple interstate routes.
The California-based freight company transports fresh produce and other goods to grocery chains. It plans to begin operations on routes connecting Dallas and El Paso in Texas, as well as along Interstate 20 between Dallas and Atlanta. Kodiak has already conducted testing and operations on both corridors.
The commercial agreement comes ahead of Kodiak’s planned launch of driverless highway operations without human safety operators in the cab. The company intends to begin carrying goods for IKEA on Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston in December.
Shift Toward Driver-as-a-Service Model
The DTL agreement is Kodiak’s first on-highway customer contract under its Driver-as-a-Service (DaaS) business model.
Under this approach, customers own and operate the trucks while Kodiak licenses its autonomous driving technology and charges a fee based on mileage over the contract period. The model is designed to reduce Kodiak’s need to own vehicles and operate as a freight carrier.
Kodiak currently serves several customers, including Charger USA, Roehl Transport and Werner Enterprises, through a trucking-as-a-service (TaaS) arrangement. Under that model, Kodiak owns and operates autonomous trucks as a third-party carrier, transporting freight on behalf of customers.
The company currently generates revenue from daily freight operations across three active routes in Texas. However, CEO and founder Don Burnette has described these activities as still being in the pilot stage.
Burnette said the TaaS model allows customers to evaluate the technology before adopting it through their own fleets.
“You have to prove out the technology first using your own truck, show them that it works, show them that it’s safe, show them that it integrates,”
He added:
“And then we want to be asset light. We don’t want to be in the business of running a trucking company.”
Burnette said:
“This represents a major new chapter in the central role Physical AI now plays in strengthening the U.S. supply chain. This binding agreement reinforces what I have said from the beginning: The Driver-As-A-Service business model is tailor-made for commercial trucking. Kodiak is executing on that vision and we are thrilled to continue growing our relationship with DTL.”
California Pilot Established Commercial Partnership
The agreement follows a pilot programme completed by Kodiak and DTL in September. During the trial, a Class 8 truck equipped with the Kodiak Driver system autonomously transported perishable goods over approximately 225 miles between Fresno and Los Angeles.
The journey used Interstate 5 and California State Route 99, with a human safety operator remaining behind the wheel.
The companies described the operation as the first commercial goods deliveries autonomously completed by a Class 8 truck in California. The trial operated under a heavy-duty autonomous vehicle testing permit issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles earlier in the summer.
DTL President and CEO Lucky Dosanjh said:
“Working with Kodiak underscores our commitment to affirming our leadership position in the industry. By integrating this technology into our fleet, complementing our experienced, professional workforce, we can expand capacity, enhance safety and drive innovation forward.”
The two companies plan to build on the pilot experience as they prepare for commercial deployment on longer interstate routes.
Interstate Routes Target Longer Operating Hours
DTL intends to deploy the autonomous trucks on two established freight corridors: Interstate 10 between Dallas and El Paso, and Interstate 20 between Dallas and Atlanta.
The routes are expected to allow the company to extend vehicle utilisation beyond existing service-hour limitations. Additional routes could be introduced as the partnership develops.
Kodiak’s planned driverless service for IKEA on Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston will provide another demonstration of its technology on public highways.
The company has already established a commercial autonomous trucking operation in an industrial environment through its partnership with Atlas Energy Solutions.
Atlas Fleet Provides Existing Commercial Deployment
Atlas has been a Kodiak DaaS customer since 2024 and was technically the company’s first customer under a binding commercial agreement. However, its autonomous trucks operate in off-road environments in the Permian Basin of West Texas rather than on public highways.
Atlas currently owns and operates 35 trucks equipped with Kodiak’s autonomous driving system. Kodiak has set a target of increasing that fleet to as many as 100 vehicles by mid-2027.
The DTL contract extends the DaaS model into conventional highway freight transportation, where customers can integrate autonomous driving technology into their own operations.
Commercial Significance for Kodiak
Kodiak did not disclose the financial value of the 75-truck agreement. However, the contract provides a commercial milestone as the company seeks to expand beyond pilot operations and establish a licensing-based revenue model.
The agreement could also support Kodiak’s longer-term ambition to become an asset-light technology supplier rather than a trucking operator.
The company, which went public in September 2025, has faced pressure in the stock market, with its shares falling approximately 87% from their opening-day price, according to the supplied report.