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

California regulators have proposed revised rules that would lift the current ban on testing and deploying self-driving trucks weighing over 10,000 pounds on public highways. The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) opened a 15-day public comment period ending December 18 to gather feedback on these changes. While autonomous passenger vehicles like robotaxis are already operating in parts of California, heavy autonomous trucks have been excluded due to regulatory restrictions. The new draft rules introduce a phased permitting process requiring companies to first test trucks with a human safety operator before applying for driverless testing and deployment permits. Notably, companies must complete at least 500,000 autonomous test miles, including 100,000 miles within California, before qualifying for driverless operation permits. The proposed regulations have been welcomed by autonomous vehicle developers such as Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI, who see this as a critical step toward enabling coast-to-coast autonomous freight operations and enhancing road safety. However, the Teamsters Union remains strongly opposed, continuing to