Kodiak AI secures first commercial deal for driverless highway trucks

The deal with DTL Transport represents a pivot for the publicly traded company as it moves away from its asset-heavy 'Trucking-as-a-Service' model. By transitioning to a 'Driver-as-a-Service' approach, Kodiak intends to license its technology and charge per mile rather than owning and operating fleets itself. Founder and CEO Don Burnette noted that the company prefers to avoid the logistics of running a traditional trucking firm, aiming instead to serve as an asset-light technology supplier. DTL plans to utilize these vehicles on key corridors, including routes from Dallas to El Paso and Dallas to Atlanta.

Kodiak’s path to this deployment follows a pilot program conducted last month along California’s Interstate 5 and State Route 99. While the company maintains existing pilot contracts with carriers like Werner Enterprises and Roehl Transport, the DTL agreement is the first to authorize highway use. Although the financial terms remain undisclosed, investor projections suggest that each truck could generate between $150,000 and $190,000 in annual recurring revenue. If these targets hold, the full fleet of 75 trucks could contribute over $11 million annually to Kodiak’s bottom line.