Autonomous heavy-duty motor vehicles — those with a gross weight of 10,001 pounds or greater — to date have been barred from public roadways in California. This will change if newly proposed California DMV regulations take effect.
The proposed regulations include several notable changes and perhaps most notable among them is the opportunity for providers of autonomous heavy-duty vehicles to apply for a permit to operate through testing or deployment.
This move is in line with California’s commitment and history of creating and pushing forward regulatory frameworks for autonomous vehicle technology, “while focusing on issues related to roadway safety, compliance with California laws, driver licensing, and vehicle registration,” according to the DMV’s April 25 notice.
While the updated regulations open the road for heavy-duty vehicles such as transport trucks to operate in the autonomous space, certain commercial operations are still excluded from this updated regulatory framework, such as “household movers, commercial vehicles used to transport passengers, oversize loads, hazardous materials, and bulk liquids requiring a tank endorsement.”
The regulations would also impose a new phased permitting system for both heavy-duty and light-duty autonomous vehicles, requiring a manufacturer to first hold a “Testing Permit” for a minimum number of miles before then applying for a “Deployment Permit.”
For a further understanding of the proposed regulations, please review our recent client alert here, the DMV’s notice here, and the proposed regulations here.