California proposes allowing testing of self-driving heavy-duty trucks

California regulators have released a new proposal to allow the testing of self-driving heavy duty trucks on public roads. The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles announced proposed regulations Friday to allow the testing of self-driving vehicles over 10,001 pounds, opening the door for companies to test self-driving technology with previously prohibited autonomous commercial semi-trucks on the road. Regulators say self-driving heavy-duty trucks are already being tested in other states, and California is the only state with regulations that explicitly ban them. The regulations will likely face pushback from the labor unions that represent the state’s commercial truck drivers.