California regulators have released revised rules that would allow companies to test and eventually deploy self-driving trucks on public highways. The California Department of Motor Vehicles, the agency that regulates autonomous vehicles in the state, opened a 15-day comment period for the proposed revisions that ends December 18.
California is home to numerous companies developing and testing autonomous vehicle technology. While robotaxis have become commonplace in the San Francisco Bay Area and parts of Los Angeles, autonomous trucks are absent because regulations ban any driverless vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds from testing on public roads. The agency, which has considered lifting the ban for a couple of years, released a draft of the proposed changes in 2024. The final proposed revisions were released this week.
The revised regulations cover areas beyond self-driving trucks, including language that appears to give law enforcement the power to issue traffic tickets to driverless vehicles. This issue has received more attention as robotaxi operations have expanded in the state. The self-driving trucks component is by far the most contentious. The revisions reflect feedback received during an initial public comment period this spring, according to the agency.
The proposal was met with enthusiasm by companies developing autonomous vehicle technology, many of which are based in California but test on highways in other states like Texas. Companies like Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI eventually want to use self-driving trucks to carry freight along commerce-heavy freeways across states.
Daniel Goff, vice president of external affairs at Kodiak AI, said in a statement that the latest draft regulations show real progress toward creating a regulatory framework for driverless trucks in California and unlocking coast-to-coast autonomous operations. He called the proposed regulations a critical step towards bringing autonomous trucks to California freeways in 2026, a milestone he believes will enhance road safety and grow the economy.
The Teamsters Union, which has fought to protect truck drivers, remains opposed. Shane Gusman, the legislative director for Teamsters California, stated that their position is unchanged and they are opposed to the deployment and testing of this technology on public roads. He noted that the Teamsters will fight the proposed revisions and are lobbying for the passage of a bill currently on the state Senate floor. That bill would require a human safety operator behind the wheel of any heavy duty autonomous truck.
The DMV’s revised rules would require self-driving truck companies to go through a phased permitting process, mirroring current regulations for light-duty autonomous vehicles like robotaxis. Companies would first receive a permit to test with a human safety operator behind the wheel. The DMV issues separate permits for driverless testing and deployment.
Manufacturers would be required to conduct testing for a minimum number of miles prior to applying for a driverless testing permit and a deployment permit. For instance, self-driving truck companies would need to complete a minimum of 500,000 autonomous test miles, with 100,000 of those miles occurring in the intended operational area in California, before receiving a driverless permit.
The DMV also proposed revising rules affecting light-duty autonomous vehicles. The regulations would expand the frequency and type of data reported to the department during testing and deployment and require companies to update their plans for interacting with first responders on a more regular basis.