Dive Brief: - Kodiak AI has received approval from California to test its autonomous trucks on state roadways with drivers onboard, the company announced Aug. 14. The company told Trucking Dive via email that this allows such operations to start immediately. - The announcement comes days after CEO and founder Don Burnette said in the company’s Q2 earnings call with analysts that the state’s regulatory framework “creates a clear path to commercial driverless deployment in California for both intrastate and interstate operations.” - Now that Kodiak has approval from California, Burnette said the permit allows the company to begin the first phase of scaling coast-to-coast autonomous trucking. He added, “California’s comprehensive autonomous vehicle regulations are a major unlock for freight innovation.” Dive Insight: Kodiak AI has been working toward launching long-haul driverless operations since late last year. The company had been awaiting the chance to deploy its technology in California since the state announced new rules allowing autonomous trucks to operate on state roads. Daniel Goff, VP of external affairs for Kodiak AI, said in an email to Trucking Dive that the company faces no restrictions on where and how it can test in Calfornia, though it must follow the state’s regulations as written. Before Kodiak AI and other AV firms can progress to applying for a commerical deployment permit in California, they must complete 500,000 miles for heavy-duty trucks during two sperate phases for a total of 1 million miles. California regulators also said OEMs must prepare a strucutred safety case demonstrating the safety of vehicle hardware, software and operations. Burnette told analysts the launch of Kodiak’s Gen7 platform, which has 50% more computing power than its previous generation self-driving technology and will be installed in its new generation of trucks, will greatly improve safety. The updated technology provides