Self-Driving Trucks Hit Public Highways in Major 2028 Deal

A California trucking company will soon haul fresh produce across America using trucks with no human drivers, thanks to a groundbreaking deal announced this week.

Kodiak AI will supply 75 self-driving trucks to DTL Transport starting in 2028. It's the first binding commercial contract for autonomous big rigs operating on public highways, not test tracks or closed facilities.

DTL Transport, a mid-sized carrier that delivers goods to grocery chains, plans to deploy the trucks on interstate routes between Dallas and El Paso, and between Dallas and Atlanta. These aren't experimental runs. Kodiak has already tested operations on both routes with promising results.

The timing is remarkable. Kodiak plans to launch its first fully driverless highway service this December, carrying goods for Ikea on Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston with no safety operator in the cab.

"We think that this is a real turning point for the self-driving industry in general," Kodiak founder and CEO Don Burnette told TechCrunch. He credits mid-market carriers like DTL for moving fast and thinking like startups rather than getting bogged down in slow corporate processes.

The business model marks a shift too. Instead of owning and operating the trucks themselves, Kodiak will license its technology to companies that run their own fleets. They'll charge by the mile, similar to how companies pay human drivers today.

Kodiak already operates 35 driverless trucks for Atlas Energy Solutions in remote West Texas oil fields. The company expects to have 100 trucks running there by mid-2027, proving the technology works at scale.

The Ripple Effect

This deal could ripple through an industry facing a critical shortage of qualified drivers. The American Trucking Associations estimates the industry is short tens of thousands of drivers, a gap that keeps growing as current drivers retire.

Self-driving trucks won't replace all human drivers overnight. They'll likely handle long highway stretches while humans manage complex city deliveries and loading operations. The technology could make trucking more efficient and help keep grocery shelves stocked reliably.

Based on Kodiak's projections of roughly $150,000 to $190,000 per truck annually, the DTL deal could generate over $11 million in yearly revenue once all 75 trucks hit the road. That's real business, not just pilot programs.

The roads we drive every day are about to change in ways that seemed like science fiction just years ago.