The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration late last week denied a request filed by two autonomous trucking companies, seeking an exemption from the rule that requires drivers place warning devices for a truck stopped on the roadside.
Waymo and Aurora requested they and other similar companies be permitted to use cab-mounted warning beacons when the truck is operated by a Level 4 automated driving system, either with or without a human on board when testing the warning beacons.
Current regulations require “whenever a commercial motor vehicle is stopped upon the traveled portion of the shoulder of a highway for any cause other than necessary traffic stops, the driver shall” put down warning devices — such as reflective triangles — on the traffic side facing approaching traffic, another one 100 feet back in the lane or shoulder, and another one 100 feet away facing away from oncoming traffic.
The FMCSA on Friday, Dec. 27, said the companies’ request for an exemption lacked data and necessary monitoring controls.
However, FMCSA said its decision “does not preclude applicants or others from seeking an exemption to use better-defined warning beacons for specified companies in particular locations, as one of the bases of the agency’s decision here is the broad reach of applicants’ request.”
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