Kodiak CEO says making trucks drive themselves is only half the battle

Kodiak AI plans to launch fully driverless long-haul freight operations by the end of 2026, with CEO Don Burnette emphasizing that the real challenge lies not just in making trucks drive themselves but in managing the operational and business side of autonomous trucking. The company already operates 20 driverless trucks in the Permian Basin for Atlas Energy Solutions and went public via a reverse SPAC merger in September 2025. Burnette differentiates Kodiak by focusing on unstructured industrial and off-road environments, which he believes better prepares its technology for highway driving.