With Aurora potentially days away from deploying driverless trucks in Texas, the DOT announced a new Automated Vehicle Framework.
Initial details of the plan were sparse, but Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the framework will move toward a national standard regarding regulations for autonomous vehicles.
“This administration understands that we’re in a race with China to out-innovate, and the stakes couldn’t be higher,” Duffy said in a news release. “As part of DOT’s innovation agenda, our new framework will slash red tape and move us closer to a single national standard that spurs innovation and prioritizes safety.”
According to the DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the plan is built around three principles:
- Prioritize the safety of ongoing AV operations on public roads
- Unleash innovation by removing unnecessary regulatory barriers
- Enable commercial deployment of AVs to enhance safety and mobility for the American public
The DOT said it is prioritizing safety by maintaining its Standing General Order on crash reporting for vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems and automated driving systems. However, the framework also will ease some of the reporting requirements and include a property damage threshold for crashes involving autonomous vehicles.
Duffy said it is about slashing red tape and removing unnecessary regulatory barriers.
Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety was critical of the plan, saying the DOT “chose to dilute, instead of enhance” the reporting requirements.
“The AV industry has been offering a myriad of promises, such as a reduction in crashes, more accessibility, less congestion and lower carbon emissions,” the safety group wrote. “However, troubling incidents have already occurred in the small number of cities in which they are currently deployed. For instance, in Austin, Texas, a ‘robotaxi’ recently stopped and blocked a local roadway, halting traffic flow. While no crash was reported, a similar scenario during an emergency could cause delays with serious consequences.”
The group also noted that the general public is not sold on the safety of autonomous vehicles. A recent survey conducted by AAA revealed that more than 60% of Americans say they are afraid of self-driving vehicles and that only 13% “trust” the technology.
“Without safeguards, safety regulations, transparency and accountability, the success of AV deployment is imperiled at best and could result in deadly consequences at worst,” Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety wrote.
Is Aurora about to deploy driverless trucks?
For months, Aurora has targeted April for when it will start running driverless trucks on Interstate 45 in Texas.
With the clock running out on April, however, it is unclear if the company will meet that self-imposed deadline. Adding to the lack of clarity, Aurora said it is unable to release any information in the final month of a business quarter.
Aurora will have a business review conference call on May 8. The company said it will provide “an update on the details of commercial launch” at that time.
If Aurora does deploy driverless trucks on a designated route between Dallas and Houston this month, it is unclear how the company will comply with federal regulations.
In December 2024, the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration denied Aurora’s request to exempt autonomous trucks from a regulation regarding the placement of warning devices. Current regulations require drivers of commercial motor vehicles stopped on the shoulder of a highway to place warning triangles in a certain manner.
According to a January blog post by Aurora President Ossa Fisher, the exemption denial will not prevent the company from complying with existing regulations when the company deploys driverless trucks. However, Aurora declined to provide details on how it plans to do that without a driver on board.
Meanwhile, Aurora filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia over FMCSA’s denial, calling it “unreasonable.”
Aurora is scheduled to file its petitioner’s brief in that case by May 9. LL
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