The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said Thursday it would approve a five-year regulatory exemption at the request of Aurora Innovation Inc. that could ease commercial adoption of self-driving trucks.
Under the exemption decision, automated big rigs can use cab-mounted warning beacons instead of warning devices that would require a driver to exit a cab to place alongside a roadway.
The agency said the technology had potential beyond automated driving system-equipped commercial motor vehicles.
“The beacons prevent drivers from being exposed to the risk of being struck by oncoming traffic,” the agency said in its decision.
“Given this likely benefit ...