Kodiak on target to complete its safety case validation and begin unsupervised driverless highway service by year end
Under Kodiak’s driverless launch program, the company is conducting daily preparation runs along Interstate 45, as well as driverless validation testing at closed-course test tracks
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kodiak AI, Inc. ("Kodiak”) (Nasdaq: KDK), a leading provider of Physical AI-powered autonomous driving technology, today announced its plans to launch unsupervised long-haul driverless service on the Dallas-Houston freight lane by the end of 2026.
Kodiak began its driverless long-haul launch program in August on its driverless-ready software and hardware platform, and now consistently completes deliveries between its Lancaster, Texas, hub and its launch destination in Houston without human intervention. During these end-to-end deliveries, the safety observer never touched the wheel, including on surface streets.
A video of a complete, end-to-end delivery is available here.
The company’s driverless launch program is designed to complete the final testing and validation necessary for Kodiak’s initial long-haul safety case. Kodiak has operated daily test drives since August on its launch platform and conducted driverless testing at closed-course test tracks. These drives are part of Kodiak’s final validation process before commencing driver-out operations.
Kodiak’s growing record of intervention-free deliveries on its launch lane demonstrates its driverless readiness.
“Our progress since beginning our final push towards driverless commercial deliveries has been incredible, and it is a strong signal we are ready to scale unsupervised driverless service on long-haul lanes,” said Don Burnette, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kodiak. “We have almost two years experience in driverless operations – no human in the cab – for a paying customer in the Permian Basin. Our final driverless launch initiative has readied the same Kodiak Driver for highways, and the results are exactly what we anticipated. We are on track to complete our preparations and launch driverless highway service by the end of this year.”
As of the end of August, Kodiak’s Autonomy Readiness Measure (ARM) for the long-haul domain stood at 93%. The ARM measures the percentage of claims and evidence in Kodiak’s safety case for driverless operations that are materially complete. Kodiak’s safety case is a structured argument, supported by evidence, that the Kodiak Driver, the company's autonomous driving system, can operate safely in a defined operating environment. The company expects to reach 100% and launch driverless operations by year end.
Dallas to Houston: Kodiak’s first driverless lane
Kodiak’s first driverless long-haul lane will connect the Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas, 219 miles apart along Interstate 45. The DFW to Houston route represents one of the densest freight lanes in the United States. Kodiak has delivered freight on the Dallas to Houston route since 2019 with safety drivers in the cab. Over that time, the company has driven more than 3.5 million autonomous miles.
Preparing for launch at the test track
Concurrently, Kodiak is conducting driverless tests at closed-course test tracks, where it is deliberately stress-testing the Kodiak Driver under real-world conditions that occur too rarely, or are too risky, to test on public highways. Together, the programs give Kodiak the testing and validation required to close its safety case in advance of driverless highway launch.
Permian provides a proven driverless foundation
Kodiak’s long-haul driverless launch builds on the company’s nearly two years of commercial driverless operations in the industrial sector. In December 2024, Kodiak became the first company to deploy driverless technology in customer owned-and-operated trucks, when the company began hauling freight with no one in the cab with Atlas Energy Solutions in the Permian Basin of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico.
As of June 30, 2026, the Kodiak Driver had been integrated into 35 driverless trucks owned and operated by Atlas and surpassed 40,000 cumulative hours of paid driverless operations.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements including regarding Kodiak's or its management teams' expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "forecast," "intend," "expect," "may," "plan," "potential," "project," "seek," "should," "will," "would" and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: expectations regarding the benefits and performance of Kodiak’s technology; Kodiak’s expectations with respect to closing its long-haul safety case and launching driverless operations on public highways in Texas by the end of 2026; and Kodiak's expectations with respect to its future performance and success. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of Kodiak's management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied upon by any investors as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Kodiak. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; the rapid evolution of autonomous vehicle technology and flaws or errors in Kodiak’s solutions or flaws in or misuse of autonomous vehicle technology in general; risks related to the rollout of Kodiak’s business and the timing of expected business milestones; the effects of competition on Kodiak’s business; supply shortages in the materials necessary for the production of the Kodiak Driver; risks related to working with third-party manufacturers for key components of the Kodiak Driver; risks related to the retrofitting of Kodiak’s vehicles by third parties; the termination or suspension of any of Kodiak’s contracts or the reduction in counterparty spending; delays in Kodiak’s operational roadmap with key partners and customers; and Kodiak’s ability to raise capital in the near term and long term. Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact such forward-looking statements can be found in filings and potential filings by Kodiak with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading "Risk Factors." If any of these risks materialize or any assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that Kodiak does not presently know, or that Kodiak currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.
In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Kodiak's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date they are made. Kodiak anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause Kodiak's assessments to change. However, while Kodiak may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Kodiak specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Kodiak's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date they are made.
About Kodiak AI, Inc.
Kodiak AI, Inc. (Nasdaq: KDK) is a leader in Physical AI, developing driverless technology that powers machines that move. The core of the company’s solution is the Kodiak Driver, a vehicle-agnostic autonomous driving system that combines advanced AI-powered software with modular hardware. Today, the Kodiak Driver operates in the long-haul trucking, industrial trucking, and defense sectors, and is already deployed in commercial operation with no one in the cab. Kodiak AI commercializes its technology through both a Driver-as-a-Service business model and strategic partnerships. In 2024, Kodiak achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first company to deploy driverless technology in customer-owned driverless semi-trucks. Commercial partners and customers include Atlas Energy Solutions, IKEA, Bridgestone, Werner Enterprises, C.R. England, General Dynamics Land Systems, and Roehl Transport.
For more information about Kodiak, please visit https://kodiak.ai/investors. Kodiak’s press kit with videos and images can be found HERE.
Kodiak Media Contacts
Pete Bigelow
Public Relations Manager, Kodiak AI
+1 303-443-4441
[email protected]
Kylee Keskerian
PR Consultant for Kodiak AI
+1 419-822-6417
[email protected]
A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5f1d23d9-a29f-4aed-9214-a950caaf8660