The Transportation Department said late Wednesday that autonomous trucking companies may use cab-mounted warning beacons for five years instead of placing reflective triangles around a stopped truck.
The US Transportation Department said late on Wednesday that it approved a five-year exemption letting Aurora and other self-driving trucking companies use warning beacons mounted on the truck cab instead of placing reflective triangles around a stopped vehicle. Reuters reported the decision from Washington.
In 2023, Alphabet's Waymo unit and Aurora jointly sought a waiver of the rule that requires those triangles. The department said cab-mounted beacons offered an equivalent or greater level of safety and would avoid putting a person outside the truck. Aurora filed a separate five-year application in April.
Aurora, which Reuters said has about 20 self-driving trucks in on-road operations, said the decision recognized the benefits of autonomous trucking and called the beacons a way to alert other road users without putting a person in harm's way.
Companies using the exemption must notify the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration beforehand and disclose crashes involving a vehicle while the beacons are activated or should have been. The agency said it would revoke an exemption if safety fell below the level maintained before it was granted.
Aurora had sued the agency in early 2025 after a waiver was not approved under the previous administration, then dismissed the case after a temporary three-month waiver in October 2025 was extended several times. Wednesday's decision replaces those short extensions with a five-year exemption.
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- Aurora said the decision recognized the benefits of autonomous trucking and that cab-mounted beacons alert other road users without putting a person in harm's way.