A Hazard Triangle Shouldn’t Block Driverless Trucks
A technical federal regulation is threatening to needlessly hold up the introduction of autonomous 18-wheelers in Texas.
Aurora still plans to shed its drivers in April.
Photographer: Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg
Aurora Innovations Inc. is all set to start operations in April on a driverless 18-wheel truck that will haul goods between Dallas and Houston, except for a niggling triangle problem.
The autonomous truck company has worked for years to perfect its sensor-fed algorithms by running freight on two highway routes in Texas with safety drivers behind the wheel. Aurora had expected to launch its initial “driver out” operation last year but pushed back the timeline to put final touches on its safety case.
The company has the greenlight from Texas after close consultations to work out issues such as protocols for when a police officer needs to stop a large truck with no driver aboard. The federal government has taken a less active role but still requires autonomous trucks to meet highway regulations. Aurora had met all those except a rule from 1972 that requires a driver to set out warning triangles (or road flares) when a truck is pulled over on the roadside.