Autonomous AI Driven Trucks Can't Go On The Road With This Rule In Place

The company Aurora promises a future with 100% on-time delivery with its fleet of AI self-driving freights. Though its early road tests in Texas have already proven effective with these trucks, there is a federal hurdle standing in the company's way. One specific rule that applies to trucks that are pulled over on the side of the road must be changed before Aurora can fulfill its goal.

Title 49 under the Federal Code of Regulations puts in place certain rules when these large trucks have to pull over. The rules are for everyone's safety, since the trucks are extremely large, and thus create more of a hazard when stopped compared to smaller cars or motorcycles. The code requires that the driver place cones or similar warning devices around the truck at specific distances and specific locations within 10 minutes of having to stop the vehicle. The code goes even further to specific ways the cones must be placed when it comes to stopping near hills, curves, on one-way roads, and more.

Autonomous AI trucking technology has taken big leaps forward in recent years, seeming to promise a future where these trucks don't have to stop for rest like human drivers do. Though not everyone is a fan of this type of technology, Aurora is making a push for it by requesting self-driving trucks be able to use a different type of warning signal instead of cones.

The federal code requires that stopped trucks immediately put on their hazard signals and place cones out within 10 minutes of being stopped. The rule states that one cone must be placed on the traffic side of the truck about 10 feet from it. Two must be placed on the traffic side at a distance of 100 feet, with one being in the direction of oncoming traffic and the other away from oncoming traffic.

The rules get even more specific for specific circumstances. If the truck driver has no cones but does have flares, they must use those instead or reflective triangles. If the truck is stopped within 500 feet of a hill, a curve in the road, or anything else that obstructs the view of oncoming traffic, a cone must be placed further away to ensure other drivers can get a clear view before suddenly coming upon the truck. There are even more specific rules about placements on one-way roads and in residential and business districts.

During this time where driverless technology is being tested by many companies, there continue to be challenges to overcome, such as seeing how well driverless camera systems work in snow conditions. However, a rule requiring a driver to actually leave their vehicle and place physical warning signals is not something an AI system can overcome. To succeed, the rule must be altered for it specifically.

Driverless technology may not always have 100% support, especially given incidents like the driverless robotaxi that ran over a pedestrian. A company asking a federal code regarding road safety to be changed on its behalf or to be exempt from the rules may raise a few eyebrows, but Aurora is confident its suggestion is just as safe, if not safer.

Aurora wants to fix warning beacons to the outside of its trucks that would turn on when the truck was stopped. The proposed benefits are that it wouldn't put a human driver in danger who has to walk near traffic, it would be more visible than traffic cones or triangles, and it would not burn out the way flares do. The company suggested this solution to the Department of Transportation (DOT). However, the DOT did not agree.

Now, Aurora has filed a lawsuit to seek to turn the tides in its favor. It seems Aurora isn't alone in wanting exemptions to this federal code. Representative Vince Fong of California is also pushing autonomous AI trucking forward with a bill introduced that allows for other warning devices outside of cones or flares. It will be interesting to watch how the lawsuit unfolds, and what the Department of Transportation's decision ultimately is regarding the future of AI driven trucks.