Dive Brief:
- Self-driving trucking companies expressed enthusiasm at Trimble Transportation’s Insight Tech Conference this month in Las Vegas about using their equipment on public roads in the Golden State.
- The remarks followed an announcement last month by the California Department of Motor Vehicles on a draft rule to open up public roads for various autonomous vehicles weighing 10,001 pounds or more, a seismic shift for the country’s most populous state.
- “This is a step that the industry has been asking for for an incredibly long time,” Kodiak Robotics Director of External Affairs Daniel Goff said. “We’re still evaluating pieces of the actual framework.”
Dive Insight:
AV businesses have been waiting years for the possibility of deploying the technology further, industry officials noted.
The proposal could unlock key trucking routes in a state that’s insulated itself from testing of heavy-duty autonomous vehicles on public roads. Multiple self-driving firms, including Gatik, Kodiak and Plus, are headquartered in California, requiring testing on private property and tracks.
“We’ll be happy when ... we can operate in California under the laws that they come up with,” said Frank Mabry, senior analyst for corporate strategy at Torc Robotics.
While other states have allowed for testing and deployment, California’s DMV has not yet followed suit. Legislators have also conflicted with Gov. Gavin Newsom over how much oversight should be required.
“If they keep changing their mind, then you know, we’ll wait until it levels out and go from there. ’Til then we’ll operate in autonomous-friendly states and perfect our craft,” Mabry said.
AV companies have not built their businesses around California at this point due to ongoing political and regulatory uncertainty, Goff said.
Goff views the proposal as a long-awaited step that could be refined further, noting the state’s characterization of hub-to-hub operations seemed a little inconsistent with how the industry looks at those issues. Kodiak looks forward to working with the California DMV to begin testing and deploying the technology.
The public can comment on the proposal through Oct. 14.
