California’s ban on self-driving trucks may soon end

Regulators in California have issued revised rules that will allow companies to test and eventually deploy self-driving trucks on public highways.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles, the agency that regulates self-driving vehicles in the state, has opened a 15-day comment period for the proposed revisions that ends on December 18.

California is home to several companies developing and testing autonomous vehicle technology in the state. While robotaxis have become common in the San Francisco Bay Area and parts of Los Angeles, self-driving trucks are absent because regulations prohibit testing any self-driving vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds on public roads.

The agency, which considered lifting the ban two years ago, released a draft of the proposed changes in 2024. The final proposed revisions were released on Wednesday.

The revised regulations cover some 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 received more attention as Waymo expands its commercial robotaxi operations in the state.

The self-driving truck component is by far the most controversial. The agency said the revisions reflect comments received during the initial public comment period this spring.

The proposal has been met with enthusiasm by companies developing self-driving vehicle technology, many of which are based in California, but are testing it on highways in other states such as Texas. Companies like Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI eventually want to use self-driving trucks to move freight along heavily trafficked interstate highways.

“California’s latest draft regulations show real progress toward establishing a regulatory framework for self-driving trucks in the state and opening up self-driving operations coast to coast,” Daniel Goff, vice president of external affairs at Kodiak AI, said in an email statement. “These proposed regulations are a critical step toward bringing self-driving trucks to California’s highways in 2026, an achievement that will enhance road safety and grow the economy.”

The Truck Drivers Union, which fought to protect truck drivers, was not affected.

“Our position remains the same, we are opposed to deploying and testing this technology on our roads,” Shane Gusman, legislative director for Teamsters California, told TechCrunch. “The changes being made do not change our position.”

Gusman indicated that Teamsters members will fight the proposed revisions. It is also pushing for the passage of AB 33, a bill currently in the state Senate, which would require a human safety operator behind the wheel of any heavy-duty self-driving truck.

The DMV’s revised rules will require self-driving truck companies to undergo a phased permit process, mirroring current regulations applicable to light-duty self-driving vehicles like taxis. Companies will first get permission to conduct testing with a human safety worker behind the wheel. The DMV issues separate permits for driverless testing and deployment.

Manufacturers will be required to test a minimum number of miles before applying for a driverless test permit and deployment permit, under DMV rules. For example, self-driving truck companies will need to complete at least 500,000 self-driving test miles — 100,000 of which must occur within California’s intended operational design range — before they can receive a driverless permit.

The DMV also proposed revising rules that would affect light-duty autonomous vehicles as well. For example, the regulations would expand the frequency and type of data reported to management during testing and deployment and require companies to update plans for interacting with first responders on a more regular basis.