FMCSA Exemption Clears the Way for Driverless Trucks

Federal regulators have granted Aurora Operations Inc. and other qualifying autonomous trucking companies a five-year exemption allowing Level 4 driverless trucks to use cab-mounted amber warning beacons instead of requiring a human to place traditional warning devices around a disabled vehicle.

Exemption Addresses Driverless Truck Requirements

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced the decision in October following Aurora’s 2023 request for relief from federal rules governing warning devices on stopped commercial motor vehicles.

Under existing requirements, a driver must leave a disabled truck and place warning devices on the roadway. That procedure is not practical for a vehicle operating without a human driver. The exemption allows qualifying autonomous trucks to activate flashing amber beacons mounted high on the truck cab when the vehicle becomes disabled.

The FMCSA exemption covers requirements involving the placement, type and number of warning devices, including provisions in 49 CFR 392.22(b), 49 CFR 393.25(e) and 49 CFR 393.95(f).

Other Autonomous Carriers May Qualify

Although Aurora was the company that requested the exemption, the FMCSA made the framework available to other carriers operating qualifying Level 4 commercial motor vehicles. Carriers must notify federal authorities in writing before using the exemption and certify that they meet its conditions.

The agency’s decision replaces a series of temporary waivers previously issued to Aurora. The company reported that, under an earlier waiver covering 34 trucks, its autonomous vehicles traveled more than 500,000 miles while using the cab-mounted beacons.

Industry Groups Raised Concerns

The Small Business in Transportation Coalition opposed the exemption, arguing that it could create different warning-device standards for autonomous and human-operated trucks. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association also urged FMCSA to wait for the agency’s study of warning devices used by stopped commercial vehicles.

FMCSA said comments broadly opposing autonomous commercial vehicles were outside the scope of the request. The agency’s review focused on Aurora’s request for relief from the specific warning-device and lighting requirements.

The exemption is limited to the warning-device rules and does not otherwise remove federal safety requirements applicable to autonomous commercial motor vehicles.