Self-driving truck maker’s semis can avoid traditional roadside inspections and weigh stations under pilot program

Kodiak Robotics Inc. announced that it is the first company to pilot the the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) “Enhanced Inspection” program for autonomous or driverless trucks.

In a July 20 news release, Kodiak announced participation in the “Enhanced Inspection” program, which was approved by the CVSA in September 2022 and is designed to “streamline interactions between autonomous trucks and law enforcement at fixed inspection sites.”

The program allows trucks to “pre-clear” traditional roadside inspections, the company says.

The program will require that a CVSA inspector specially trained in autonomous vehicles perform an inspection on the driverless vehicle. That inspection will be valid for a 24 hour period and the truck will not be subject to roadside or weigh station inspections during that period.

As part of the program, Kodiak will input the results of each Enhanced Inspection into the Drivewyze system, which will in turn communicate the truck’s inspection status to roadside law enforcement officials. The Drivewyze integration is only available in Texas for now, but Kodiak is working with the company to expand the number of states participating in the pilot.

“Traditional roadside inspections rely on assistance from the driver, and a common question we get is how autonomous trucks will handle highway weigh station inspections,” said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO, Kodiak. “This program shows how law enforcement and autonomous vehicle developers can partner to ensure extremely high safety and maintenance standards for self-driving trucks. We are thankful to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, and Drivewyze for demonstrating that the recently developed commercial vehicle inspections solution for autonomous trucks can be implemented using existing frameworks and infrastructure.”

“Kodiak has always had an eye on the future, and we congratulate them on this major step forward as the first autonomous truck company to pilot the enhanced inspections concept in Texas,” said Brian Heath, CEO of Drivewyze. “Autonomous vehicles represent a significant change to roadside enforcement, and we are proud to support Texas DPS and Kodiak in rising to the challenge. To maximize future adoption, it is important that state agencies continue to leverage their existing roadside systems to meet the needs of the emerging AV market.”