Driverless trucks in Texas: what fleets should know
Semi-trucks with no one in the cab could soon be running on a major US interstate. Plans announced over the past week point to driverless highway freight in Texas before the end of 2026, along with the first deal for a trucking carrier to run driverless trucks in its own fleet. Here is what is planned, what is still uncertain, and what it means for fleets that run on human drivers.
What is planned
A first highway route. According to Heavy Duty Trucking, autonomous trucking developer Kodiak AI plans to start highway operations with no one in the cab hauling IKEA freight between the Dallas and Houston areas. The initial driverless segment covers 219 miles, mainly along Interstate 45, as part of an existing 292-mile route between IKEA's distribution centre in Baytown, Texas, and its store in Frisco. The companies have run that freight for four years with a safety observer aboard.
Still conditional. The launch depends on the developer finishing its safety case, an evidence-backed argument that the system can operate safely in a defined environment. On Oct. 30 the company said that work was 99% complete, up from 96% at the end of September. HDT notes the figure measures progress on that paperwork and testing, not the share of driving situations the system can handle.
A carrier signs on. Under an agreement announced Oct. 28, DTL Transport, a California carrier that runs cross-country team routes and hauls produce for grocery customers, will equip 75 of its trucks with the autonomous driving system. DTL will own and operate the trucks and pay a per-mile fee for the technology. First routes are planned between Dallas and El Paso and between Dallas and Atlanta. No deployment schedule was given.
A border lane. Autonomous trucks are also hauling refrigerated and dry freight for carrier Charger USA on a 435-mile lane between Dallas and Laredo, a major US-Mexico gateway, with a safety driver behind the wheel for now. The plan is to move that lane to driverless service later. Cross-border freight is already under pressure, as we covered in our post on tariff changes and tight cross-border capacity.
Already running off-highway
Driverless trucks are already working in the Permian Basin oil field. As of June 30, Atlas Energy Solutions owned and operated 35 driverless trucks there, with more than 40,000 hours of paid driverless operation, and that fleet is planned to grow to 100 trucks by mid-2027.
The rules are changing too
A driverless truck can't get out and set warning triangles after a breakdown. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted a five-year exemption allowing driverless trucks to use cab-mounted warning beacons instead. It took effect Oct. 7 and applies to other Level 4 autonomous truck operators if they notify the FMCSA. A system has also been developed that would let enforcement agencies check inspection information electronically and decide whether autonomous trucks can bypass roadside screening sites.
What it means for fleets
- It starts narrow. The first driverless highway runs are fixed lanes in Texas, and even those still depend on safety work being finished.
- A new ownership model. The DTL deal shows one way carriers may adopt autonomy: owning the trucks and paying per mile for the driving system.
- Data is the foundation. HDT reports that preparation for the first route included coordinating departure and arrival times, scheduling unloading and using predictive maintenance data to plan truck service. Those are disciplines that pay off in any fleet today.
- Roadside work will change. Breakdowns with no driver aboard, beacon warnings and electronic inspection checks will matter to enforcement, roadside responders and tow operators. See our post on how police towing dispatch is changing.
Checklist: getting fleet-ready for automation
- Track where every vehicle is and how it is used, with hardwired GPS, so your data is complete.
- Record actual departure and arrival times on your regular lanes.
- Plan maintenance from real usage data, not only calendar dates.
- Note which of your lanes are long, repeatable terminal-to-terminal runs.
- Follow FMCSA and Transport Canada updates on autonomous trucks.
- Brief drivers and roadside staff on how driverless trucks warn others after a breakdown.
The bottom line
Driverless trucking is moving from pilots toward real contracts, starting with a few Texas lanes and still subject to safety work being completed. For most fleets, the practical step today is the groundwork automation depends on: accurate, complete data on where trucks are, how they are used and when they need service.
Sources: Heavy Duty Trucking, "Kodiak Lines Up Fleets for Driverless Trucking," Oct 30, 2026.
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