PrePass and Kodiak link driverless trucks to weigh station

PrePass and Kodiak AI announced a collaboration on Monday to route safety inspection records from autonomous trucks into state roadside screening systems. Implementation began the same day in Texas and Louisiana.

The process uses the existing PrePass platform, which fleets employ for weigh station bypass and toll payments. Inspection data from a Kodiak truck is sent to enforcement personnel for verification and bypass authorization. The state retains final authority over the bypass decision.

Kodiak is preparing to launch driverless commercial operations on public highways by the end of 2026. The company went public via a merger in 2025.

The inspection process

The safety records come from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's Enhanced Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspection Program, designed for trucks with automated driving systems. A CVSA-trained inspector verifies an autonomous truck is free of defects before driverless operation begins. This clearance is valid for up to 24 hours.

Kodiak previously piloted a similar system in Texas with PrePass competitor Drivewyze in 2023.

Collin Mooney, CVSA Executive Director, welcomed the collaboration. "As commercial motor vehicle technologies continue to advance, inspection and enforcement processes must evolve with them while maintaining a strong focus on transportation safety," Mooney said.

Scaling the bypass network

The PrePass bypass network includes 581 sites across North America. This extensive footprint allows state agencies to manage autonomous trucks within their current systems, avoiding the need for separate roadside processes. It also provides a pathway for the companies to expand beyond the initial two states.

Kodiak's technology operates in long-haul trucking, industrial trucking, and defense. The company installed its driverless system in customer-owned semi-trucks in 2024. Its commercial partners include Werner Enterprises, C.R. England, and IKEA.

Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak AI, emphasized the practical challenges. "Launching driverless service is not just about building technology. It's about building a solution that works in the real world," Burnette said. He stated the partnership helps maintain compliance and scale operations across the United States.

Solving an infrastructure barrier

Chas Wurster, chief technology officer of PrePass, identified a critical hurdle. The next barrier to scaling driverless trucking isn't inside the truck. It's the infrastructure around it, Wurster said. He described the collaboration as operationalizing a blueprint that brings states, infrastructure, and data together for scaled autonomous operations.

Driverless trucks lack a driver to communicate with inspectors. Routing Kodiak's 24-hour CVSA clearance through PrePass enables Texas and Louisiana to handle these vehicles within existing weigh-station frameworks. Solving this infrastructure problem is a key step for Kodiak ahead of its planned year-end driverless launch.