Kodiak AI Secures First Commercial Deal for Driverless Highway Trucking with DTL Transport
Kodiak AI has signed its first binding commercial agreement to supply 75 autonomous trucks to DTL Transport, beginning in 2028. This deal marks a significant shift for the company from its current 'Trucking-as-a-Service' model toward an 'asset-light' Driver-as-a-Service (DaaS) model, where customers own and operate the vehicles using Kodiak's licensed technology. The partnership will see DTL Transport utilize self-driving rigs on major interstate routes, including Dallas to El Paso and Dallas to Atlanta. This milestone follows Kodiak's plan to remove human safety operators from its highway service by December 2025, initially hauling goods for Ikea in Texas. While the specific contract value was not disclosed, Kodiak’s previous investor projections suggest potential annual recurring revenue of $150,000 to $190,000 per truck.