Autonomous Trucks
Last week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration unveiled a request from Waymo LLC and Aurora Operations that the companies wanted an exemption regarding the required placement of warning devices on automated trucks. The exemption would allow all motor carriers operating autonomous driving systems – with or without a human on board – to have warning beacons mounted on the truck cab instead of traditional warning devices required by regulations. The exemption request was published in the Federal Register on March 3. If granted, the qualified carriers would be exempt from requirements regarding the placement of warning devices and the steady-burning lamp requirement. It also would allow the companies to use a warning device for stopped vehicles that isn’t acceptable under the current rules.