California Advances New Autonomous Vehicle Regulations
Updated Regs Expand Testing, Deployment of Heavy- and Medium-Duty AVs; Comment Period Open Until Dec. 18
Key Takeaways:
- The draft of new rules updates permit pathways, replaces annual disengagement reports with incident-based reporting and clarifies safety case, noncompliance notice and indicator requirements.
- Stakeholders have until Dec. 18 to submit written comments as the DMV reviews the proposal for potential adoption.
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California regulators opened a 15-day public comment period Dec. 3 as they that would broaden how autonomous vehicles, including medium- and heavy-duty models, operate on state roads.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles issued the new draft after months of reviewing public input on an earlier proposal released in April. Industry groups, labor organizations, local governments, advocacy groups and residents submitted extensive feedback during a 45-day window, prompting the agency to refine several sections before releasing the latest version.
The updated package lays out a path for autonomous truck manufacturers to seek permits for testing and deployment. It also updates requirements for companies operating light-duty driverless vehicles already on California roads. The DMV posted the revised text on its and encouraged stakeholders to review the proposed changes and submit written comments before the Dec. 18 deadline.
Under the revised rules, manufacturers would be required to provide safety cases for review, and the department may consult third-party experts when evaluating those submissions. The DMV also removed the long-standing requirement for companies to file annual disengagement reports, replacing it with a system focused on documenting dynamic driving task system failures. Companies testing driverless vehicles would report those incidents monthly, while deployment permit holders would submit quarterly reports.
A Waymo autonomous vehicle driving in San Bruno, Calif. (Jeff Chiu/Associated Press)
The proposal also updates how an AV noncompliance notice must be handled. The draft clarifies where the notice must be placed in a vehicle, allows law enforcement agencies to mail the form to manufacturers, and requires companies to transmit the contents to the DMV within 72 hours of receiving it.
Another provision grants approval for medium-duty autonomous commercial motor vehicles to operate in certain passenger service programs. The vehicles must weigh less than 14,001 pounds, meet the statutory definition of a bus and be designed to carry no more than 15 passengers. They would be allowed to run service in partnership with public entities or private universities.
Language governing AV indicators and emergency geofence responses also is updated, aligning regulatory requirements with the state’s existing Vehicle Code sections 38750 and 38751.
Written comments must be submitted by email to LADRegulations@dmv.ca.gov.
Generative AI assisted in the creation of this article.
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