diff --git a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/cudla_linux.pyx b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/cudla_linux.pyx
index b9cbb73a32e..e46890c24ec 100644
--- a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/cudla_linux.pyx
+++ b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/cudla_linux.pyx
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ cdef object _cyb_symbol_lock = _cyb_threading.Lock()
 from libc.stdint cimport uintptr_t
 
 from .utils import FunctionNotFoundError, NotSupportedError
-from cuda.pathfinder import load_nvidia_dynamic_lib
+from ctypes import CDLL
 
 
 ###############################################################################
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ cpdef _inspect_function_pointer(str name):
 
 
 cdef void* load_library() except* with gil:
-    cdef uintptr_t handle = load_nvidia_dynamic_lib("cudla")._handle_uint
+    cdef uintptr_t handle = CDLL("@libcudla@")._handle
     return <void*>handle
 
 
diff --git a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/cufile_linux.pyx b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/cufile_linux.pyx
index 03864ddd836..4e2a705a2ae 100644
--- a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/cufile_linux.pyx
+++ b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/cufile_linux.pyx
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ cdef object _cyb_symbol_lock = _cyb_threading.Lock()
 from libc.stdint cimport uintptr_t
 
 from .utils import FunctionNotFoundError, NotSupportedError
-from cuda.pathfinder import load_nvidia_dynamic_lib
+from ctypes import CDLL
 
 
 ###############################################################################
@@ -599,7 +599,7 @@ cpdef _inspect_function_pointer(str name):
 
 
 cdef void* load_library() except* with gil:
-    cdef uintptr_t handle = load_nvidia_dynamic_lib("cufile")._handle_uint
+    cdef uintptr_t handle = CDLL("@libcufile@/lib/libcufile.so")._handle
     return <void*>handle
 
 
diff --git a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/driver_linux.pyx b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/driver_linux.pyx
index 6fc1ca20c77..6090745eb4e 100644
--- a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/driver_linux.pyx
+++ b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/driver_linux.pyx
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ cdef object _cyb_symbol_lock = _cyb_threading.Lock()
 from libc.stdint cimport uintptr_t
 
 from .utils import FunctionNotFoundError, NotSupportedError
-from cuda.pathfinder import load_nvidia_dynamic_lib
+from ctypes import CDLL
 
 
 ###############################################################################
@@ -3785,7 +3785,13 @@ cpdef _inspect_function_pointer(str name):
 
 
 cdef void* load_library() except* with gil:
-    cdef uintptr_t handle = load_nvidia_dynamic_lib("cuda")._handle_uint
+    # Search like the dynamic linker would for a library with the driver link in its RUNPATH: LD_LIBRARY_PATH
+    # first (e.g. a host driver exposed by nixglhost or a container runtime), then the configured path.
+    cdef uintptr_t handle
+    try:
+        handle = CDLL("libcuda.so.1")._handle
+    except OSError:
+        handle = CDLL("@libcuda@/libcuda.so.1")._handle
     return <void*>handle
 
 
diff --git a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvfatbin_linux.pyx b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvfatbin_linux.pyx
index 937878b5a15..78815032dc6 100644
--- a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvfatbin_linux.pyx
+++ b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvfatbin_linux.pyx
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ cdef object _cyb_symbol_lock = _cyb_threading.Lock()
 from libc.stdint cimport uintptr_t
 
 from .utils import FunctionNotFoundError, NotSupportedError
-from cuda.pathfinder import load_nvidia_dynamic_lib
+from ctypes import CDLL
 
 
 ###############################################################################
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ cpdef _inspect_function_pointer(str name):
 
 
 cdef void* load_library() except* with gil:
-    cdef uintptr_t handle = load_nvidia_dynamic_lib("nvfatbin")._handle_uint
+    cdef uintptr_t handle = CDLL("@libnvfatbin@/lib/libnvfatbin.so")._handle
     return <void*>handle
 
 
diff --git a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvjitlink_linux.pyx b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvjitlink_linux.pyx
index 4c21693caf7..72e9b920802 100644
--- a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvjitlink_linux.pyx
+++ b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvjitlink_linux.pyx
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ cdef object _cyb_symbol_lock = _cyb_threading.Lock()
 from libc.stdint cimport uintptr_t
 
 from .utils import FunctionNotFoundError, NotSupportedError
-from cuda.pathfinder import load_nvidia_dynamic_lib
+from ctypes import CDLL
 
 
 ###############################################################################
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ cpdef _inspect_function_pointer(str name):
 
 
 cdef void* load_library() except* with gil:
-    cdef uintptr_t handle = load_nvidia_dynamic_lib("nvJitLink")._handle_uint
+    cdef uintptr_t handle = CDLL("@libnvjitlink@/lib/libnvJitLink.so")._handle
     return <void*>handle
 
 
diff --git a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvml_linux.pyx b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvml_linux.pyx
index ab251a57fe1..a5e95f1348f 100644
--- a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvml_linux.pyx
+++ b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvml_linux.pyx
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ cdef object _cyb_symbol_lock = _cyb_threading.Lock()
 from libc.stdint cimport uintptr_t
 
 from .utils import FunctionNotFoundError, NotSupportedError
-from cuda.pathfinder import load_nvidia_dynamic_lib
+from ctypes import CDLL
 
 
 ###############################################################################
@@ -4171,7 +4171,13 @@ cpdef _inspect_function_pointer(str name):
 
 
 cdef void* load_library() except* with gil:
-    cdef uintptr_t handle = load_nvidia_dynamic_lib("nvml")._handle_uint
+    # Search like the dynamic linker would for a library with the driver link in its RUNPATH: LD_LIBRARY_PATH
+    # first (e.g. a host driver exposed by nixglhost or a container runtime), then the configured path.
+    cdef uintptr_t handle
+    try:
+        handle = CDLL("libnvidia-ml.so.1")._handle
+    except OSError:
+        handle = CDLL("@libnvml@/lib/libnvidia-ml.so")._handle
     return <void*>handle
 
 
diff --git a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvrtc_linux.pyx b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvrtc_linux.pyx
index 861fc42e34b..c8ba57ce746 100644
--- a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvrtc_linux.pyx
+++ b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvrtc_linux.pyx
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ cdef object _cyb_symbol_lock = _cyb_threading.Lock()
 from libc.stdint cimport uintptr_t
 
 from .utils import FunctionNotFoundError, NotSupportedError
-from cuda.pathfinder import load_nvidia_dynamic_lib
+from ctypes import CDLL
 
 
 ###############################################################################
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ cpdef _inspect_function_pointer(str name):
 
 
 cdef void* load_library() except* with gil:
-    cdef uintptr_t handle = load_nvidia_dynamic_lib("nvrtc")._handle_uint
+    cdef uintptr_t handle = CDLL("@libnvrtc@/lib/libnvrtc.so")._handle
     return <void*>handle
 
 
diff --git a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvvm_linux.pyx b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvvm_linux.pyx
index 39329bc9b64..220577dbc4a 100644
--- a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvvm_linux.pyx
+++ b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/nvvm_linux.pyx
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ cdef object _cyb_symbol_lock = _cyb_threading.Lock()
 from libc.stdint cimport uintptr_t
 
 from .utils import FunctionNotFoundError, NotSupportedError
-from cuda.pathfinder import load_nvidia_dynamic_lib
+from ctypes import CDLL
 
 
 ###############################################################################
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ cpdef _inspect_function_pointer(str name):
 
 
 cdef void* load_library() except* with gil:
-    cdef uintptr_t handle = load_nvidia_dynamic_lib("nvvm")._handle_uint
+    cdef uintptr_t handle = CDLL("@libnvvm@/lib/libnvvm.so")._handle
     return <void*>handle
 
 
diff --git a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/runtime_linux.pyx b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/runtime_linux.pyx
index 1ae37127bd1..eb7b9054cf1 100644
--- a/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/runtime_linux.pyx
+++ b/cuda_bindings/cuda/bindings/_internal/runtime_linux.pyx
@@ -9,11 +9,19 @@ import os
 
 from libc.stdint cimport uintptr_t
 
-from cuda.pathfinder import load_nvidia_dynamic_lib
+from ctypes import CDLL
 cimport cuda.bindings._lib.dlfcn as dlfcn
 cimport cuda.bindings._internal.runtime_ptds as ptds
 cimport cython
 
+try:
+    CDLL("libcuda.so.1")
+except OSError:
+    try:
+        CDLL("@libcuda@/libcuda.so.1")
+    except OSError:
+        pass
+
 
 ###############################################################################
 # Per-thread default stream dispatch
@@ -50,14 +58,14 @@ include "../_lib/cyruntime/cyruntime.pxi"
 cdef cudaError_t _getLocalRuntimeVersion(int* runtimeVersion) except ?cudaErrorCallRequiresNewerDriver nogil:
     # Load cudart dynamically to read its embedded version number.
     with gil:
-        loaded_dl = load_nvidia_dynamic_lib("cudart")
-        handle = <void *><uintptr_t>loaded_dl._handle_uint
+        loaded_dl = CDLL("@libcudart@/lib/libcudart.so")
+        handle = <void *><uintptr_t>loaded_dl._handle
 
     cdef void* __cudaRuntimeGetVersion = dlfcn.dlsym(handle, 'cudaRuntimeGetVersion')
 
     if __cudaRuntimeGetVersion == NULL:
         with gil:
-            raise RuntimeError(f'Function "cudaRuntimeGetVersion" not found in {loaded_dl.abs_path}')
+            raise RuntimeError(f'Function "cudaRuntimeGetVersion" not found in {loaded_dl._name}')
 
     # We explicitly do *NOT* cleanup the library handle here, acknowledging
     # that, yes, the handle leaks. The reason is that there's a