The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) recently released a set of proposed regulations to establish a path for companies to test or deploy light-duty autonomous delivery motor trucks on public roadways within the state.
The unveiling of these regulations marks the start of a public comment period which ends May 27, 2019. Under the proposed regulations, companies can test autonomous delivery vehicles weighing less than 10,001 lb with an approved permit from the DMV, provided they do not charge a delivery fee. Companies must apply for a deployment (public use) permit to make their autonomous technology commercially available. The DMV’s regulations continue to exclude the testing or deployment of autonomous vehicles weighing more than 10,001 pounds.
Following the comment period, the DMV will hold a public hearing at its Sacramento headquarters on May 30 to gather input on the regulations. The DMV previously held a public workshop on October 19, 2018, to gather and discuss input on the development of the regulations. The approach is consistent with how the DMV developed past AV regulations packages, and the department is aiming to complete the rulemaking some time this year.
Currently, 62 companies have valid permits to test autonomous vehicles with a safety driver on California public roadways, while Waymo is currently the only company with a permit for driverless testing.
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Source: California DMV
