DMV Now Hammering Out Rules for Self-Driving Trucks to Come to California

"Google-owned self-driving car company Waymo has made some pretty big strides since their competitor Cruise flamed out. Though the reality is that Waymo is not yet profitable, and those robotaxi fares are small change when it comes to how much Waymo has invested in driverless technology. That is no matter to the cash-rich parent company Google, because those cars have learned invaluable little lessons about how to operate on the road."

"These guidelines would apply to a new breed of self-driving vehicle that is 10,000 pounds or heavier, which is anywhere from the size of a Ford F-350 pickup truck all the way to a full-blown semi truck. Current California self-driving vehicle regulations ban vehicles of more than 10,000 pounds from operating autonomously until regulations for them were in place. Now those regulations are coming, or at least, regulations for testing these trucks on actual roads and highways."

"We do know that the rules will require that there has to be a human being at the wheel to take over if things get glitchy (during the testing phase, at least). NBC Bay Area adds that the regulations are "expected to include a new process for citing autonomous vehicle companies when their cars or trucks violate traffic laws." After all, right now police cannot cite driverless vehicles for moving violations, because those vehicles don't have a driver."

Self-driving commercial trucks are poised to be the next major application of autonomous vehicle technology, with California's DMV creating testing guidelines for vehicles 10,000 pounds or heavier. The rules would cover everything from heavy pickup trucks to full semis and would permit on-road testing with a human at the wheel to take over during glitches. Current California regulations prohibit autonomous operation for vehicles over 10,000 pounds until specific rules exist. New procedures are expected to enable citing autonomous vehicle companies when their vehicles violate traffic laws. Self-driving trucks promise to change long-haul freight operations by removing driver rest limits.

Read at sfist.com