Aurora adds 1K-mile “driverless” lane: Will solo HOS regs apply for the in-cab observer?
Aurora has added a new roughly 1,000-mile “driverless” lane to its autonomous trucking operation, expanding where the company says its trucks can run without a human driving the vehicle.
The announcement matters for working drivers because it raises a practical compliance question: if there is an in-cab observer, do solo hours-of-service (HOS) rules apply to that person? That question is especially relevant any time a truck is moving on public roads while a human is riding in the cab, even if the automated driving system is doing the driving.
Terms like “driverless” can be confusing in trucking, because they can describe different real-world setups. In some operations, a human is in the cab to monitor the system or handle certain tasks, even when the company considers the run “driverless.” Whether that person is legally treated as a driver for HOS purposes depends on how the role is defined and what duties they perform.
More broadly, the situation highlights an ongoing gap between fast-moving automation programs and the day-to-day rules drivers live under—logbooks, on-duty definitions, and who is responsible for the truck while it is in motion. As autonomous carriers expand lanes, those details become more than paperwork; they determine how trips are staffed, how time is logged, and who is accountable if something goes wrong.
No additional details were provided in the material about the lane’s exact endpoints, how the in-cab role is structured, or how Aurora plans to handle HOS compliance for any observer riding along.