California’s ban on self-driving trucks could soon be over

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 up 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 in the state. And 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 now, released a draft of the proposed changes in 2024. The final proposed revisions were released Wednesday.

The revised regulations cover a few areas beyond self-driving trucks, including language that appears to give law enforcement the power to issue traffic tickets to driverless vehicles — an issue that has received more attention as Waymo has expanded its commercial robotaxi operation in the state.

The self-driving trucks component is by far the most contentious. The revisions reflect feedback received during the initial public comment period this spring, the agency said.

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.

“The California DMV’s latest draft regulations show real progress toward creating a regulatory framework for driverless trucks in the state and unlocking coast-to-coast autonomous operations,” Daniel Goff, vice president of external affairs at Kodiak AI, said in an emailed statement. “These proposed regulations are a critical step towards bringing autonomous trucks to California freeways in 2026, a milestone that will enhance road safety and grow the economy.”

The Teamsters Union, which has fought to protect truck drivers, is unmoved.

“Our position remains the same, we are opposed to the deployment and testing of this technology on our roads,” Shane Gusman, the legislative director for Teamsters California, told TechCrunch. “The changes that are made don’t change our position.”

Gusman noted that the Teamsters will fight the proposed revisions. It’s also lobbying for passage of AB 33, a bill currently on the state Senate floor, which would require a human safety operator behind the wheel of any heavy duty autonomous truck.

The DMV’s revised rules would require self-driving trucks companies to go through a phased permitting process, mirroring current regulations applied to 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, under the DMV rules. For instance, self-driving truck companies would need to complete a minimum of 500,000 autonomous test miles — 100,000 of which must occur in the intended operational design domain in California — before it will receive a driverless permit.

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