California regulators have announced revised rules that will allow companies to test and eventually deploy self-driving trucks on public roads.
The California Department of Transportation, which regulates self-driving cars in the state, has set a 15-day comment period on the proposed amendments until Dec. 18.
California is home to a number of companies developing and testing self-driving vehicle technology within the state. And while robotaxis are common in the San Francisco Bay Area and parts of Los Angeles, there are no self-driving trucks because regulations prohibit testing unmanned vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds on public roads.
The agency has been considering lifting the ban for several years and released a draft of the changes in 2024. The final proposed changes were announced on Wednesday.
The revised regulations cover several areas beyond self-driving trucks, including language that appears to give law enforcement the authority to issue traffic tickets to self-driving vehicles, an issue that has gained more attention as Waymo expands its commercial robotaxi operations in the state.
The components of self-driving trucks are by far the most controversial part. The agency said the revisions reflect feedback received during the first public comment period this spring.
The proposal was greeted with enthusiasm by companies developing self-driving car technology, many of them based in California but also testing on highways in other states such as Texas. Companies like Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI eventually want to use self-driving trucks to transport cargo on busy interstate commercial highways.
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“California DMV’s latest draft regulations represent real progress toward creating a regulatory framework for driverless trucks in the state and enabling coast-to-coast autonomous driving,” Daniel Goff, vice president of external affairs at Kodiak AI, said in an emailed statement. “These proposed regulations are an important step toward bringing self-driving trucks to California highways in 2026, a milestone that will strengthen road safety and grow our economy.”
The Teamsters union, which has been fighting to protect truck drivers, remains unmoved.
“Our position remains the same: we oppose the deployment and testing of this technology on our roads,” Shane Gusman, legislative director for Teamsters California, told TechCrunch. “Despite the changes, our position remains the same.”
Guzman noted that the Teamsters intend to fight the amendment. The company is also lobbying for the passage of AB 33, a bill currently being considered in the state Senate. The bill would require a human safety operator behind the wheel of large self-driving trucks.
The DMV’s revised rules reflect current regulations governing small self-driving vehicles, such as robotaxis, and require self-driving truck companies to go through a phased permitting process. The company first gets permission to test it with a human safety operator behind the wheel. The DMV issues separate permits for driverless testing and deployment.
Under DMV regulations, manufacturers are required to conduct a minimum mileage test before applying for an unmanned test permit or deployment permit. For example, self-driving trucking companies must complete at least 500,000 self-driving test miles, 100,000 of which must be conducted in California’s intended operational design area, before receiving a permit for driverless operation.
The DMV also proposed rule changes that would also affect small self-driving vehicles. For example, the regulation expands the frequency and type of data reported to the department during testing and deployment, and requires companies to more regularly update their plans for interactions with first responders.
