NHTSA Proposes New Lighting Rules for Driverless Trucks

NHTSA Proposes New Rules for Driverless Trucks

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to change some rules for driverless trucks and other vehicles that drive themselves. The plan would update how certain vehicle lights and controls must work. It would also set standards for new blue-green lights that could help drivers spot vehicles that operate on their own.

The changes could help make way for more driverless trucks on U.S. roads. They are part of a larger federal effort to update safety rules as vehicle technology improves. However, the plan is still a proposal, and no new rules have taken effect.

New Lights Could Help Drivers Spot Driverless Trucks

One key part of the plan deals with new lights for vehicles that drive themselves. These lights would be cyan, a shade of blue-green. They would show that a vehicle is driving without a person who is expected to watch the road.

The lights would be easy to see from the front, back, and both sides. They would stay on without flashing while in use. Each vehicle with these lights would need at least four, but no more than eight.

The lights would not be required on all driverless vehicles. Still, any company that chooses to use them would need to meet federal standards. These rules would cover the color, brightness, and placement of the lights.

NHTSA believes a common light color could help other drivers know when a vehicle is driving itself. The rules would also help make sure the new lights do not block or hide brake lights, turn signals, or other key lights.

What Driverless Trucks Could Mean for Truck Drivers

For truck drivers, the new lights could make it easier to spot vehicles that drive themselves. This could be useful as more driverless trucks begin to haul freight on U.S. highways.

A clear light signal could help drivers know when a nearby vehicle is being controlled by a computer system. However, the lights would not give that vehicle special rights on the road. All drivers would still need to follow normal traffic laws.

The proposal would not force truck drivers to add new lights or controls to their current trucks. It also would not change how trucks with human drivers must operate.

NHTSA points to a study that found strong public support for these lights. The study asked more than 4,400 drivers in four countries about lights for self-driving vehicles. More than 80% of those surveyed in the United States and United Kingdom supported the idea.

Driverless Trucks Are Already Hauling Freight

The new plan comes as some trucks are already hauling freight without a person behind the wheel. Aurora is one company that has begun using driverless trucks in commercial freight service.

Federal agencies have also started to change some rules to address this new technology. In October 2026, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) granted a five-year exemption for certain driverless commercial vehicles.

The exemption lets approved operators use warning beacons instead of having a person place warning triangles or other devices along the road. It applies to certain vehicles that meet the terms of the exemption.

The new NHTSA proposal is separate from that FMCSA action. It deals with lights and controls built into vehicles, not warning devices placed along the road.

Still, both actions show how federal agencies are reviewing old rules as driverless trucking grows.

NHTSA Wants to Change Rules for Vehicle Controls

Many current vehicle safety rules were written when all vehicles had human drivers. Some of those rules may not make sense for driverless trucks built without a steering wheel or other manual controls.

For example, some turn signals must turn off when the steering wheel moves back after a turn. Other rules require a person to be able to switch between high and low beams by hand or foot.

Those rules can be hard to apply to vehicles that use computers to handle all driving tasks.

NHTSA wants to remove some of these manual-control rules for vehicles built without human driving controls. However, those vehicles would still need working turn signals, headlights, and hazard lights.

The change would affect how the lights are controlled, not whether the lights are needed.

The agency also wants to change rules for some dashboard warning lights. These lights tell drivers when signals or high beams are on or when certain lights fail.

In a vehicle with no human driver, the computer system would control and check many of these functions. NHTSA believes some dashboard lights may no longer serve the same purpose in these vehicles.

Trucks with normal driving controls would still need to follow the current rules.

Other Headlight Rules Could Change

The proposal also includes changes that could apply to more than just driverless trucks.

One change deals with how newer headlights are tested. NHTSA wants to let some modern headlights be tested at the voltage listed by the manufacturer. This would replace the fixed test voltage now used for those lights.

Another change would give companies more freedom when placing high and low beams in a vertical setup. Current rules limit which beam can be placed on top.

NHTSA believes newer lights can provide enough road lighting without that rule. Limits on how high or low the lights can be placed would remain in effect.

These changes could give truck makers more choices when they design new lighting systems.

What Driverless Trucks Could Mean for the Industry

For most truck drivers and fleets, the plan would have little effect right now. It would not change CDL rules, hours-of-service limits, or daily driving duties.

However, it could help companies that build driverless trucks. Some of the current rules require equipment that may not be needed in trucks without human driving controls.

Removing those rules could make it easier for companies to design and build these vehicles. NHTSA also believes the changes could lower some costs tied to meeting federal rules.

The agency has not said how much money might be saved. It also has not estimated how many vehicles could be affected.

What Happens Next?

The proposal is set to appear in the Federal Register on October 26, 2026. NHTSA plans to take public comments for 30 days after that date.

The expected deadline is November 25, 2026, though the final date must be confirmed when the notice is published. Comments can be sent through Regulations.gov under docket number NHTSA-2026-1519.

NHTSA will review the comments before deciding whether to make the changes final. The agency could also revise parts of the plan based on public feedback.

For now, the rules for trucks with human drivers would stay the same. The larger issue is how federal safety rules may change as more driverless trucks share the road with other commercial vehicles.

The new light standards could become one way to help drivers tell when another vehicle is operating on its own.