Aurora takes feds to court over safety rules as it nears self-driving truck launch
Aurora Innovation is taking federal safety regulators to court in a case that could have far-reaching implications for self-driving truck companies operating in a regulatory environment designed around humans.
The fight centers around the rather commonplace practice of placing physical warning triangles around semi trucks stopped along highways. The court denied Aurora’s request to be exempt from that safety requirement. Aurora, which plans to launch a fully autonomous commercial trucking operation in April, has turned to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals to push regulators to green-light its exemption.
The move highlights a longstanding tension between autonomous vehicle companies seeking to commercialize their technology and safety standards designed for humans.
Here’s what happens in a world where humans drive trucks: Truck drivers activate their hazards and have 10 minutes to put out reflective safety triangles as a warning to other road users. The first triangle goes 10 feet behind the truck facing oncoming traffic. The second goes 100 feet behind the truck. And the third goes 100 feet ahead of the truck or 100 feet behind the truck but off-center. The driver might adjust those positions if the truck is pulled over on a curve or a blind spot.
In a world where AI drives trucks, there’s nobody around to put out the warning lights. The AV industry, led by Aurora Innovation and Waymo, submitted a request in January 2023 that would allow them and other AV companies to mount flashing warning beacons on the cab of the truck instead.