Kodiak AI Signs First Commercial Deal to Supply 75 Driverless Trucks to DTL Transport
Before removing human safety operators in December 2026, Kodiak secured its first on-highway customer under its Driver-as-a-Service model. DTL will deploy 75 trucks from 2028 after a 225-mile California pilot hauling produce autonomously.
Kodiak AI announced in October 2026 that it has signed its first binding commercial contract to supply driverless trucks for public highway use, agreeing to deliver 75 self-driving big rigs to California freight company DTL Transport starting in 2028.
DTL Transport, a mid-market carrier that hauls fresh produce and goods to grocery chains, plans to deploy the autonomous trucks on interstate routes including Dallas to El Paso and Interstate 20 between Dallas and Atlanta — corridors where Kodiak has already conducted testing and operations.
The deal arrives just ahead of a significant operational milestone for Kodiak: the company plans to remove human safety operators from the cab in December 2026 to begin a fully driverless highway service, initially carrying goods for Ikea on Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston. Kodiak went public in September 2025, and its shares have fallen 87% from their opening-day price.
The contract marks Kodiak’s first on-highway customer under its Driver-as-a-Service (DaaS) model, in which the customer owns and operates the trucks while Kodiak licenses its self-driving technology and charges by the mile. The relationship grew out of a pilot last month in California, where Kodiak autonomously hauled perishable goods for DTL roughly 225 miles along Interstate 5 and California State Route 99 between Fresno and Los Angeles, with a human safety operator present.
Kodiak did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. However, its 2025 investor presentation projected annual recurring revenue of $150,000 to $190,000 per truck, based on a per-mile licensing fee of approximately $0.97 and annual mileage of roughly 225,000 miles per truck. If those projections hold, the DTL contract could generate at least $11.2 million in annual recurring revenue once all 75 trucks are delivered.
The deal supports Kodiak’s stated goal of becoming an asset-light technology supplier — licensing its system rather than owning and operating trucks directly. “We don’t want to be in the business of running a trucking company,” said founder and CEO Don Burnette. Kodiak currently operates trucks under a Trucking-as-a-Service model for customers including Charger USA, Roehl Transport, and Werner Enterprises on several Texas routes, which Burnette described as still in pilot stage.