Driverless Cars

House Transportation Bill Eliminates Obscure Rule That Effectively Bans Driverless Trucks

This year's surface transportation reauthorization would eliminate a requirement that human drivers place safety placards around disabled trucks.

Christian Britschgi | 5.20.2026 3:05 PM

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The bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization bill released earlier this week by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee would reform an obscure safety rule that has served as a de facto ban on driverless commercial trucks. 

The BUILD America 250 Act would allow driverless truck operators to use cab-mounted beacons to warn drivers of a disabled truck on the road. Current federal regulations require that roadside warning placards be placed around disabled trucks. 

That requirement has been a serious source of grief for autonomous trucking companies, as it effectively requires a human operator to be on board to place those warning placards. 

For that reason, they've........

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