California Proposes Regulations to Allow Testing of Self-Driving Heavy Duty Vehicles

The proposed regulations are open to a 45-day public comment period, ending on June 9.

A self-driving truck is pictured on a motorway, south of Stockholm, near Södertälje, Sweden, on Nov. 18, 2022. Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) on Friday released its proposed rules for testing self-driving heavy-duty commercial vehicles on public roads in the state.

The state regulator said in a statement that the new framework would allow automotive developers to test self-driving trucks weighing 10,001 pounds or more on public roadways if they have a permit.

It also proposed updates to the guidelines for light-duty autonomous vehicles (AVs). If the new regulations are adopted, applications for AV testing would follow a phased permitting process.

“These include updated protocols for AV interactions with first responders and a new procedure for law enforcement to report potential non-compliance with traffic regulations by AVs,” DMV stated.

The proposed regulations are open to a 45-day public comment period, ending on June 9, after which the state will hold a public hearing to gather additional input on the rules.

California’s current regulations only permit driverless motor trucks weighing less than 10,001 pounds to be tested on public roads, according to the DMV’s website.

The initial process requires AV manufacturers to obtain a permit for testing with a safety driver, and only after completing the required test miles and submitting a report detailing that test can they apply for a driverless testing permit and a deployment permit.

The proposed rules come just a day after the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that it would expand the Automated Vehicle Exemption Program (AVEP)—which currently applies only to imported AVs—to include domestically-produced AVs in a move to maintain U.S. global dominance in the industry.

The program will exempt U.S. automakers from safety regulations for AVs intended for research or demonstration purposes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) letter.

To maintain safety, NHTSA said that it will continue requiring vehicles with certain advanced driver assistance and automated driving systems to report crash incidents, and streamline the reporting process to remove “unnecessary and duplicative requirements.”

NHTSA’s chief counsel, Peter Simshauser, said the move would allow AV manufacturers to “develop faster and spend less time on unnecessary process, while still advancing safety.”

The move was welcomed by the AV industry, with the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association calling it a “bold and necessary step” to boost the country’s AV innovation.

However, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety has voiced disappointment with the administration’s move, emphasizing the need to enhance information on the safety of self-driving cars on public roads.

The group said that “troubling incidents” have already occurred in cities where self-driving vehicles are currently deployed, warning that without safety regulations and transparency, “the success of AV deployment is imperiled at best and could result in deadly consequences at worst.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to the DOT for comment on the group’s concerns and did not receive a response by publication time.