Most Americans have concerns about sharing the road with an 80,000-pound driverless truck.
However, companies like Aurora Operations hope their fleets of driverless trucks will grow to the thousands over the next five years.
To help make that happen, Aurora seeks a five-year exemption from a federal regulation requiring truck drivers to place warning devices around the truck when stopped on a highway shoulder. Specifically, Aurora is asking to use a set of cab-mounted warning beacons instead of having a person deploy warning triangles around the truck. If granted, the exemption would apply to Aurora and other motor carriers operating Level 4 automated commercial motor vehicles.
FMCSA is giving the public through May 15 to comment on Aurora’s exemption request.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is encouraging truck drivers and the general public to speak out against allowing driverless trucks on highways before they are ready. The organization, which represents small-business truckers, issued a Call to Action on Wednesday, April 22.
“Self-driving trucking fleets are seeking an exemption from warning device regulations to remove human operators from trucks,” OOIDA wrote on its Fighting For Truckers website. “Tell FMCSA NO!”
According to the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, 86% of Americans said they are concerned about driverless tractor-trailers and delivery trucks.
The regulation
The rule, which aims to alert other drivers when a commercial motor vehicle is stopped, requires the driver to take immediate action.
Whenever a commercial motor vehicle is stopped upon the traveled portion or the shoulder of a highway for any cause other than necessary traffic stops, the driver shall, as soon as possible, but in any event within 10 minutes, place the warning devices … in the following manner:
- One on the traffic side and four paces – approximately 10 feet – from the stopped commercial motor vehicle in the direction of approaching traffic
- One at 40 paces – approximately 100 feet – from the stopped commercial motor vehicle in the center of the traffic lane or shoulder occupied by the commercial motor vehicle and in the direction of approaching traffic
- One at 40 paces from the stopped commercial motor vehicle in the center of the traffic lane or shoulder occupied by the commercial motor vehicle and in the direction away from approaching traffic
Of course, that rule doesn’t work for autonomous trucking companies that want to operate without the cost of a truck driver. Currently, Aurora has been operating under a limited waiver. A long-term exemption would open the door for expansion.
OOIDA opposition
OOIDA says that the U.S. Department of Transportation needs to develop safety standards for autonomous vehicles.
“Voluntary reporting requirements leave truckers and the general public in the dark about the safety and reliability of autonomous technologies,” OOIDA wrote.
The Association opposes the SELF DRIVE Act, which would create a national framework for regulating autonomous vehicles.
Although OOIDA promotes a national standard, the trucking group said that HR7390 fails to ensure the safe operation of driverless trucks
“HR7390 would permit the operation of 80,000-pound trucks based on unverified assertions of companies with a vested financial interest in their deployment,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer wrote. “While companies would be required to develop a ‘safety case’ describing how the vehicle would operate safely, there is no requirement that the federal government verify these plans. In fact, companies would not need to provide these cases to the government before deployment, or possibly even at all.”
How to comment
To file a comment on Aurora’s exemption request, click here or go to Regulations.gov and enter Docket No. FMCSA-2026-0958. As of April 22, 39 comments had been submitted. LL
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