Kodiak AI has begun autonomous freight operations for Roehl Transport on a Dallas-Houston route, marking another step in the commercialization of self-driving trucking technology in the United States.
The Mountain View, California-based company said the service launched in April 2026 and currently operates four roundtrips per week using trucks equipped with the Kodiak Driver autonomous driving system.
The partnership expands Kodiak AI’s commercial freight network across the southern United States, where the company already operates routes connecting Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, Atlanta and El Paso.
Kodiak said its autonomous trucking operations also include deployments in West Texas’s Permian Basin, where 20 self-driving trucks were operating for Atlas Energy Solutions as of the end of 2025.
The Dallas-Houston freight corridor has become a major testing ground for autonomous trucking companies. Earlier this year, Volvo Autonomous Solutions and DSV launched autonomous freight services on the same route using the Volvo VNL Autonomous platform. Meanwhile, Aurora and McLane have also introduced driverless freight runs between the two Texas cities.
Rick Roehl, chief executive of Roehl Transport, said safety considerations played a central role in selecting Kodiak as its autonomy partner.
“Roehl Transport is built on values, and Safety is our cornerstone value,” Roehl said.
“The Kodiak Driver was built with this same philosophy. Kodiak’s safety-first approach was a key factor in our decision to partner with Kodiak.”
Kodiak Founder and CEO Don Burnette said the partnership demonstrates how autonomous driving technology could improve freight efficiency while advancing road safety.
“Working with Roehl Transport reflects a shared commitment to safety in trucking,” Burnette said.
“By combining our AI-powered autonomous capabilities with Roehl’s safety approach, we’re proving how our technology can enhance efficiency while making meaningful progress toward safer roads at scale.”
Kodiak cited federal statistics showing that more than 85% of U.S. truck crashes are linked to human error. The company also referenced U.S. Department of Transportation data estimating that 5,472 people died in crashes involving heavy-duty trucks in 2023.
According to Kodiak, the Kodiak Driver system received a Visually Enhanced Risk Assessment (VERA) score of 98 out of 100 in an independent October 2025 evaluation conducted by Nauto across more than 1,000 commercial fleets.
The company said it remains on track to launch fully driverless long-haul freight operations by the end of 2026.
