Self-Driving Semis Get Boost in U.S. Autonomous Vehicle Policy

The U.S. Transportation Department has given a boost to companies working on automated long-haul trucks, saying an artificial intelligence system could constitute a “driver” under federal trucking rules in a bid to ease barriers to the technology.

Otto’s self-driving, big-rig trucks

Photographer: Tony Avelar/AP Photo

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will no longer assume that a commercial vehicle driver is human, an initial step to allow trucks to travel across state lines piloted by an autonomous driving system, according to the Transportation Department’s “Automated Vehicles 3.0” guidance released Oct. 4. The safety regulator is also studying how to amend existing rules to better accommodate self-driving ...