Kodiak Robotics has partnered with Berlin-based startup Vay to bring remote-driving capability to its self-driving truck fleet, the companies announced on Wednesday. The collaboration is set to play a critical role in Kodiak’s operational and safety protocols as the U.S. firm prepares for commercial driverless freight operations in Texas in the second half of 2026.
Vay’s teleoperations system allows trained personnel to remotely operate a Kodiak truck in low-speed situations — such as navigating construction zones or areas with traffic enforcement — using a control rig that includes a steering wheel, screen, vehicle controls, and low-latency communication software. While the remote driver provides directional input, Kodiak’s proprietary “assisted autonomy” system retains overall command.
“It’s not a direct system where you just turn the steering wheel and you flip a truck,” said Andreas Wendel, Chief Technology Officer at Kodiak Robotics. “The remote driver, using Vay’s rig, tells the vehicle where to go, but Kodiak’s system still runs all its checks to keep it on track.”
Kodiak began exploring remote-driving technology after winning a U.S. Army contract in 2022, which required flexibility in navigating unpredictable conditions. “They run into a lot of use cases where they can’t just rely on the autonomy doing its thing,” Wendel said. “Getting your autonomy to actually understand that is very tricky.”
Rather than build its own system from scratch, Kodiak adopted Vay’s platform, which had already been tested in commercial settings. Vay initially developed the technology to enable remote movement of driverless car-share vehicles. In this model, teleoperators pilot empty vehicles to customers, who then take over manual driving, with the remote operator retrieving the car afterward. The startup has since logged more than 10,000 commercial trips.
“This is how we want to build out that global remote driving platform,” said Thomas von der Ohe, co-founder and CEO of Vay. “I often describe it as a bit like how Amazon built AWS on the back of their Amazon success.”
Kodiak CEO Don Burnette added that the integration of remote-driving support enhances operational flexibility. “No matter the maturity of an autonomous driving system, there are still scenarios that will benefit from human assistance, if only as a backup,” he said.
The companies emphasized that Kodiak’s remote operators all hold commercial driving licenses and undergo specialized training to ensure consistent vehicle control regardless of load or configuration. With the upcoming SPAC merger and the planned Texas deployment, Kodiak’s blend of automation and human oversight marks a new step in scaling autonomous freight transport.