Autonomous vehicles the driving force behind warning device study

Regulators shouldn’t be granting special exemptions for autonomous vehicles just so they can fast-track an unproven technology.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association delivered this message to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding a notice from the agency about warning devices for stopped commercial motor vehicles.

In late December, FMCSA issued a notice that sought comments about the agency’s study regarding these warning devices. Current regulations require truck drivers to place warning devices in a specific manner whenever a commercial motor vehicle is stopped on the shoulder of a highway.

However, these regulations don’t work for autonomous trucking companies that hope to operate without a human on board.

That hurdle has created a lot of interest in the longstanding trucking regulation, prompting petitions and studies to see if technology can provide solutions for how to warn the public about a stopped truck without needing a human to deploy physical triangles.

In formal comments to the agency, OOIDA President Todd Spencer wrote that FMCSA must determine if autonomous vehicle technology can achieve safety results equivalent to a professional driver before granting any warning device exemptions or waivers.

“The U.S. Department of Transportation should implement mandatory, comprehensive data transparency from autonomous vehicle (AV) manufacturers as part of any pending regulatory framework,” Spencer wrote in comments filed on Jan. 22. “This will help educate consumers, trucking industry stakeholders and regulators about the actual reliability and safety performance of AVs. Without improving data transparency, FMCSA should not amend regulations just to appease AV developers.”

Meanwhile, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators supports efforts to update regulations.

“The current requirement for drivers to deploy reflective triangular warning devices is an antiquated practice that exposes commercial motor vehicle operators and roadside safety professionals to unreasonable risk,” wrote Cian Cashin, AAMVA’s vice president of government affairs. “Requiring drivers to exit their vehicles and walk along active travel lanes or shoulders – often in poor visibility conditions, inclement weather, or high-traffic environments – to place warning devices creates a secondary hazard that may exceed the risk posed by the stopped vehicle itself.” LL