Kodiak to add International tractors to autonomous options

Kodiak says its software and hardware are 99% ready for unsupervised autonomous longhaul routes. (Kodiak AI)

Kodiak AI is set to begin offering retrofitted autonomous tractors from three truck makers in the second half of 2027: International Motors, Peterbilt and Western Star.

Mountain View, Calif.-based self-driving truck specialist Kodiak unveiled plans Nov. 5 to add International’s LT tractor to its portfolio of options for fleet customers.

The announcement was made simultaneously with Kodiak revealing that its software and hardware are 99% ready for unsupervised autonomous longhaul routes.

Kodiak said in its third-quarter 2026 earnings statement that this level of readiness meant unsupervised longhaul routes would begin by the end of 2026, as the publicly traded company promised investors previously.

The company plans to launch autonomous public highway operations by the end of 2026, carrying goods on behalf of Ikea on Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston.

A couple of days earlier, the company said Atlas Energy Solutions received its first two Western Star 49X trucks equipped with Kodiak Driver in September.

The world’s biggest customer-owned autonomous fleet just got bigger. The first Western Star 49X trucks have joined the Atlas fleet, built for the harshest operating conditions and powered by the Gen 7 Kodiak Driver. They run in a day-cab configuration with new compute and new AI perception models. Western Star, welcome to the fleet. #AIfortheLongHaul

— Kodiak AI (@KodiakRobotics) November 3, 2026

Bulk hauler Atlas is Kodiak’s biggest customer. The two trucks are the first of 65 49Xs Kodiak is set to deliver to Atlas. The carrier — which delivers the fracking material proppant on private roads in western Texas and New Mexico — has ordered 100 driverless trucks. The rest of the order is scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2027.

The Western Star trucks represent the first vehicles equipped with Kodiak’s seventh-generation hardware platform as well as the first day-cab autonomous trucks deployed into commercial service.

Expanded use of Kodiak Driver-equipped vehicles on public roads is expected in the middle of 2027, once all safety requirements have been met.

Kodiak’s second-biggest deal with a carrier was announced at the end of October, when the company unveiled a 75-truck order from Fresno, Calif.-based refrigerated carrier DTL Transport.

Just a few weeks ago, @DTLTrans and Kodiak completed the first commercial autonomous delivery in California history, hauling perishable goods between Fresno and Los Angeles. The pilot was a success. Based on the success of that pilot, DTL has committed to deploying the Kodiak Driver in 75 driverless trucks. This is a first-ever agreement for DTL to implement Kodiak’s driver-as-a-service model to expand capacity and enhance safety—and get a whole lot of food where it needs to be, when it needs to be there. $KDK #AIfortheLongHaul

— Kodiak AI (@KodiakRobotics) October 28, 2026

DTL will deploy autonomous trucks on two routes: Interstate 10 between Dallas and El Paso, Texas, and Interstate 20 between Dallas and Atlanta.

In September, DTL hauled perishable goods for 225 miles using a Kodiak Driver-equipped autonomous truck, in what is understood to be the first commercial Class 8 delivery in the state. Kodiak received a heavy-duty Autonomous Vehicle Testing permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles in the summer.

The company went public September 2025 after merging with special purpose acquisition company Ares Acquisition Corp. II.

Kodiak posted a profit of $27.4 million in the third quarter after posting a loss of $269.9 million in the year-ago period.

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Kodiak unveiled plans Nov. 5 to add International’s LT tractor to its portfolio of options for fleet customers. (International Motors)