Dear Secretary Duffy,
I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to advise you of our support for exempting self-driving, autonomous trucks from existing rules requiring the placement of steady- burning warning devices around stopped commercial motor vehicles (CMVs).
Law enforcement and the public must adapt to continuing advances in automotive technology. There are already self-driving vehicles on American highways, and even more are on the way. When CMV drivers stop on a shoulder or roadway, they are required to place flares, reflective triangles, or similar warning signs within a certain distance of the stopped vehicle. Clearly this rule cannot apply to autonomous commercial vehicles.
For this reason, the Federal Carrier Motor Safety Administration (FCMSA) is considering an exemption to this rule (Docket FMCSA-2026-0958) for autonomous CMVs operated by a Level 4 Automated Driving System (ADS). These vehicles, when stopped, would immediately deploy cab- mounted warning beacons, which improves the visibility of a CMV stopped roadside for all road users, including law enforcement officers. Independent research supports the assertion that the proposed cab-mounted warning beacons achieve a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety provided by the current requirements.
By granting the proposed exemption, the FMCSA would authorize the use of an alternative method for warning motorists of the presence of a stopped CMV that achieves the underlying regulation’s safety purpose.
On behalf of the more than 382,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I urge the FMCSA to grant this petition to support roadside safety for law enforcement and the motoring public, and as a step toward collecting data that can support a broader rulemaking effort to update FMCSA’s current regulation on warning devices for all CMVs. I thank you for considering our views on this issue. If I can be of any further help, please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in our Washington, D.C. office.
Sincerely,
Patrick Yoes
National President