California Greenlights Testing of Autonomous Trucks Amid Legal Challenges

California has issued permits for autonomous truck testing to Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI, marking a significant milestone. Kodiak is already operating trucks around Mountain View. However, Teamsters California has filed a lawsuit challenging the rules that enabled these permits, arguing for more public input. The testing permits require a safety driver and impose route restrictions. The DMV's decision follows a rule change lifting a prior ban on heavy autonomous vehicles. Opponents, including gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra, are pushing for more stringent regulations.