Kodiak AI’s autonomous truck, the Kodiak Driver, has achieved a perfect 98 safety score in a groundbreaking evaluation by Nauto’s VERA system, matching top human drivers in the trucking industry. The VERA Score, which uses AI to measure fleet safety on a scale of 1 to 100, placed the Kodiak Driver beside the safest human fleets in Nauto’s global network. The results have sparked significant discussion and raised questions about the role of automation in freight transport.
The system scored perfectly in inattentive driving, high-risk driving, and traffic violations, with only a 95 in aggressive driving. Nauto’s data show that every 10-point increase in VERA Score cuts collision risk by about 21%, highlighting the strong safety improvements over typical human performance. The positive results were expected by Kodiak’s leadership, who emphasized safety as a core value. Nauto equipped the trucks with advanced monitoring and hazard detection systems, tracking driving environment and vehicle behavior in real time. Removing human factors like distraction, fatigue, and delayed reactions directly improves safety.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data support the trend of decreasing commercial truck crashes, indicating safer highways overall. While the technology offers benefits like reduced liability and increased efficiency, some experts remain concerned about real-world unpredictability and potential job impacts. Nonetheless, the study marks a significant step in redefining safe driving and signals that automation is moving from theory to reality.