Court shoots down operator’s driverless warning-device waiver lawsuit as FMCSA gives 5-year extension

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is moving forward with an ongoing exemption that allows autonomous trucking companies to use cab-mounted warning beacons in lieu of traditional warning devices.

In that case, Illinois-based operator Kostas Giannoulias claimed FMCSA had not followed proper procedure in granting a number of three-month waivers while it weighed potentially granting a full five-year exemption.

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President and CEO Todd Spencer issued a statement calling the five-year exemption a "corporate carve-out" that "sets a troubling precedent.

Exceptions to safety regulations must be based on sound evidence, not the needs of Silicon Valley technocrats and their investors."

OOIDA lodged formal opposition to the use of warning beacons in official comments to the regulatory docket, the association noted.