Aurora, for example, started regular driverless freight runs between Dallas and Houston in 2025 and has since expanded to longer routes, including the roughly 600-mile Fort Worth-El Paso corridor along I-20.
It's worth noting that Aurora's trucks are being tested without an engineer or safety driver behind the wheel, a sight that's apparently causing a few double-takes from human drivers as they pass the driverless trucks on the highway.
Kodiak AI, meanwhile, has 35 customer-owned autonomous trucks operating as of June 2026, with more than 40,000 hours of paid driverless operation.
So why is Texas proving popular as a location for testing driverless semi-trucks, and what could it mean for the freight industry?
But even with the new rules, the state looks set to remain popular with those already testing their autonomous trucks there.