Kodiak AI has signed a commercial agreement to provide freight carrier DTL Transport with 75 self-driving trucks, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2028. The trucks are planned for use on public interstate highways, marking Kodiak's first highway-focused deal under its Driver-as-a-Service model.
DTL expects to deploy the vehicles on several routes, including Dallas to El Paso and Interstate 20 between Dallas and Atlanta. Kodiak has already tested and operated on both corridors. The companies developed their relationship through a pilot in California, where a Kodiak-equipped truck carried perishable goods between Fresno and Los Angeles with a human safety operator aboard.
A shift toward technology licensing
Under Driver-as-a-Service, customers own and operate the trucks while licensing Kodiak's autonomous-driving system. The model differs from Kodiak's current Trucking-as-a-Service operations, where the company owns and runs vehicles to transport customers' freight.
Kodiak has not disclosed the contract's value. Its stated projections for recurring revenue per truck suggest the agreement could become a significant commercial milestone if those estimates are achieved.
By moving autonomous trucks from trials toward customer-operated highway fleets, the deal may help shape how freight companies adopt driverless technology at scale.
