Debate over autonomous trucks rolls on

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• Aurora shifts safety observer to front seat in AV trucks after PACCAR‘s request

• OOIDA raises concerns over Aurora’s safety claims and limited road testing

• Regulatory oversight gaps cited by OOIDA and FMCSA as major safety issues

As concerns over autonomous vehicle (AV) truck safety and oversight continue, Aurora is adjusting its driverless freight tests with a front-seat observer following a safety request from long-time partner PACCAR.

Early May 2025 saw Aurora launch its commercial driverless freight service from Dallas to Houston. The self-driving trucks operate using Aurora’s Driver system, with a safety observer in the backseat of the vehicle. However, safety concerns from PACCAR, Aurora’s truck manufacturing partner, have led Aurora to place the safety observer in the front seat.

“When we launched our driverless trucking service last month, it was a moment guided by safety and underpinned by rigorous testing, painstaking validation, and a deep commitment to our mission,” Aurora Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO Chris Urmson said in a statement. “A core part of our strategy has always been building a strong ecosystem of partners across the industry — from OEMs to logistics providers to regulators. These partnerships are essential to delivering a safe, scalable, commercial product.

“One of those partners, PACCAR, requested we have a person in the driver’s seat, because of certain prototype parts in their base vehicle platform. We are confident this is not required to operate the truck safely based on the exhaustive testing (covering nearly 10,000 requirements and 2.7 million tests) and analysis that populates our safety case.”

Urmson said PACCAR is a long-time partner and, after much consideration, Aurora respected their request and is moving the observer from the back seat to the front. However, Aurora stated that it stands by its self-driving software.

“This observer will not operate the vehicle — the Aurora Driver will continue to be fully responsible for all driving tasks, including pulling over to a safe location if required,” said Urmson. “And we’ve shown we can do that safely, with the Aurora Driver operating for more

than 6,000 driverless miles along our commercial launch lane between Dallas and Houston. This change has no impact on our near, mid- and long-term development plans.

“Our partnerships are critical to our long-term strategy. We’re confident in the technology, grateful for our partners, and excited about the driverless road we’re on.”

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) President Todd Spencer said there are concerns around Aurora’s safety claims. According to its site, OOIDA has been working since 1973 to defend the rights of small business truckers and has more than 150,000 members.

“OOIDA remains deeply skeptical of the safety assurances made by Aurora regarding its upcoming deployment of driverless trucks,” said Spencer. “While the company has released a voluntary safety report highlighting simulation data and supervised road testing, OOIDA believes this falls short of demonstrating readiness for full public road integration.

“Simulations and limited road testing cannot replicate the vast range of real-world driving conditions that commercial vehicles encounter daily. Furthermore, serious risks like ‘phantom braking’ — where autonomous vehicles unexpectedly brake — pose a significant hazard, especially for heavy trucks. Until autonomous technology can be proven safe under all conditions through mandatory, transparent oversight, OOIDA believes these safety claims are insufficient and premature.”

Spencer noted the current regulatory gaps in autonomous truck deployment and cited the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), both of which are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“OOIDA has long warned that the current regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles is dangerously inadequate,” said Spencer. “Critical safety data remains shielded under voluntary reporting programs like NHTSA’s AV TEST and proposed AV STEP, which fail to provide regulators or the public with timely, actionable insights. Exemptions sought by companies like Aurora and Waymo from basic FMCSA regulations, such as warning device placement, set a dangerous precedent of weakening proven standards without evidence of safety equivalency.”

As the federal government agency responsible for regulating and providing safety oversight of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), FMCSA’s mission as stated on its site is to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses. FMCSA partners with industry, safety advocates, and state and local governments to keep roadways safe and improve CMV safety through regulation, education, enforcement, research, and technology.

Spencer said the absence of requirements for crash reporting, backup safety systems, and uniform performance standards leaves major gaps in federal oversight.

“OOIDA strongly urges the implementation of mandatory safety and crash reporting requirements before any widespread AV deployment is allowed,” he said.

Spencer stressed the importance of maintaining a human presence behind the wheel.

“OOIDA firmly believes that removing professional drivers from behind the wheel of commercial vehicles is a premature and reckless decision,” he said. “Human drivers provide irreplaceable judgment in unpredictable situations — from assessing road hazards to responding to mechanical failures. Regulations requiring proper warning device placement in emergencies, for example, rely on the trained discretion of a human operator, something autonomous systems cannot yet replicate.

“Additionally, human drivers can prevent dangerous situations caused by erratic AV behavior, such as phantom braking. Given overwhelming public apprehension about sharing the road with driverless trucks, retaining a human presence in the cab is essential to ensuring public safety and maintaining trust in the transportation system.”