Hundreds of truckers speak out against driverless truck exemption

The autonomous trucking industry seeks an exemption that could pave the way for thousands of driverless trucks to hit the roads over the next five years.

However, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and hundreds of individual truckers are telling federal regulators to reject the request.

Aurora Operations wants the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to approve a five-year exemption from a regulation requiring truck drivers to place warning devices around the truck when stopped on a highway shoulder. Specifically, Aurora is asking to use a set of cab-mounted warning beacons instead of having a person deploy warning triangles around the truck. If granted, the exemption would apply to Aurora and other motor carriers operating Level 4 automated commercial motor vehicles.

OOIDA, which represents small-business truckers, has been busy rallying truck drivers to oppose Aurora’s exemption.

“Self-driving trucking fleets are seeking an exemption from warning device regulations to remove human operators from trucks,” OOIDA wrote on its Fighting For Truckers website. “Tell FMCSA NO!”

As of press time in early May, FMCSA had received nearly 300 comments about Aurora’s request. Many of the comments came from truck drivers telling the agency that the exemption would be bad for safety.

“Granting an exemption for external warning devices would be dangerous for other road users,” Marlena Ross wrote. “There is no plan for warning drivers when broken down close to a curve in the road. Other drivers will not be given adequate warning, even when the equipment is fully functioning. That is not a suitable replacement for triangles or flares, because it does not cover all the required scenarios. Exemptions for safety equipment should not be for convenience and should involve a comprehensive alternative.”

Others said that there is no alternative to a well-trained human truck driver.

“We need properly trained, vetted drivers in commercial vehicles,” Dale Gullett wrote. “Autonomous vehicles are a danger and should not be granted special privileges and exceptions.”

According to the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, 86% of Americans said they are concerned about driverless tractor-trailers and delivery trucks.

The regulation

The rule, which aims to alert other drivers when a commercial motor vehicle is stopped, requires the driver to take immediate action.

Whenever a commercial motor vehicle is stopped upon the traveled portion or the shoulder of a highway for any cause other than necessary traffic stops, the driver shall, as soon as possible, but in any event within 10 minutes, place the warning devices … in the following manner:

• One on the traffic side and four paces – approximately 10 feet – from the stopped commercial motor vehicle in the direction of approaching traffic
• One at 40 paces – approximately 100 feet – from the stopped commercial motor vehicle in the center of the traffic lane or shoulder occupied by the commercial motor vehicle and in the direction of approaching traffic
• One at 40 paces from the stopped commercial motor vehicle in the center of the traffic lane or shoulder occupied by the commercial motor vehicle and in the direction away from approaching traffic

Of course, that rule doesn’t work for autonomous trucking companies that want to operate without the cost of a truck driver. Currently, Aurora has been operating under a limited waiver. A long-term exemption would open the door for expansion.

The Nevada Trucking Association, Texas Trucking Association and Montana Trucking Association all submitted comments in support of Aurora’s exemption request.

OOIDA opposition

OOIDA says that the U.S. Department of Transportation needs to develop safety standards for autonomous vehicles.

“Voluntary reporting requirements leave truckers and the general public in the dark about the safety and reliability of autonomous technologies,” OOIDA wrote.

The Association opposes the SELF DRIVE Act, which would establish a national framework to regulate autonomous vehicles.

Although OOIDA promotes a national standard, the trucking group said that HR7390 fails to ensure the safe operation of driverless trucks

“HR7390 would permit the operation of 80,000-pound trucks based on unverified assertions of companies with a vested financial interest in their deployment,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer wrote. “While companies would be required to develop a ‘safety case’ describing how the vehicle would operate safely, there is no requirement that the federal government verify these plans. In fact, companies would not need to provide these cases to the government before deployment, or possibly even at all.”

As of press time, the agency was still accepting comments through May 15. It is unclear when FMCSA will announce its decision. LL