The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has proposed new rules for testing and deploying self-driving cars.
These rules cover everything from small self-driving taxis like Waymo’s to big self-driving trucks like Plus.AI’s.
The DMV wants to improve public safety and help the self-driving tech industry grow.
The proposed rules are up for public review until June 9, 2025, which is 45 days from April 25.
To get a permit, companies will need to follow a three-step process.
First, they’ll need to test their vehicles with a human driver.
Then, they can test without a human driver.
Finally, they’ll need to get a permit to operate on public roads.
The new rules also let companies test big self-driving trucks (over 10,001 pounds) on public roads.
They’ll need to report any crashes and follow state rules, like obeying emergency responders.
This move comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) eased its reporting rules in 2021.
Now, companies only need to report serious crashes and do so quarterly.
Tesla, which has an engineering office in Palo Alto, California, is planning to use these new rules.
They’ve been testing their Full Self-Driving (FSD) tech with human drivers in Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tesla plans to test FSD without human drivers soon and start a commercial robotaxi service by late 2026.
Other companies like Waymo, Zoox, and WeRide already have permits from the DMV to test and operate self-driving cars.
Waymo has a permit to operate a commercial robotaxi service in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Mateo County.
The new rules could help Tesla by giving them a clear path to getting permits.
Tesla’s stock jumped 10% on Friday after the news was released.