The BUILD America 250 Act: Creating a Federal Framework for Autonomous Commercial Vehicles
On May 22, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the BUILD America 250 Act, a five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill intended to replace the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which expires on September 30, 2026. In addition to authorizing hundreds of billions of dollars in highway funding and various other measures, the bill includes several provisions focusing on the emerging autonomous trucking industry. The legislation would establish federal safety requirements for commercial autonomous vehicles (AVs), would resolve the contentious issue of warning beacons on driverless trucks, and would potentially preempt at least some state and local regulation.
D.C. Council Proposes a Costly Path for Autonomous Vehicles in the Nation’s Capital
On May 1, three members of the D.C. Council introduced a new bill, titled the Autonomous Vehicle Deployment Authorization Amendment Act of 2026, that would create a pathway for the deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in the District of Columbia. Reflecting the Council’s approach to AV deployment, the lead sponsor of the legislation has said that “we didn’t need to be the first city to bring driverless cars to our streets, but I don’t want us to be the last.”
California Finalizes a New Regulatory Regime for Testing and Deploying Autonomous Vehicles
On April 28, the California Department of Motor Vehicles released the finalized version of the state’s new autonomous vehicle regulations. More than a year in development and shaped by extensive public debate, these rules carry significant implications for companies that manufacture and operate autonomous vehicles in the nation’s most populous state.
China Moves Toward Nationwide Autonomous Vehicle Regulation
The Chinese government recently took a significant step toward establishing nationwide standards for autonomous vehicles. On April 13, the public comment period closed on the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s new proposal for mandatory safety standards. Titled Safety Requirements for Autonomous Driving Systems of Intelligent Connected Vehicles, the 62-page proposal, if finalized, would further the country’s ambitions to be the world leader in autonomous vehicles (AVs).
NHTSA Proposes Amending Federal Crash Avoidance Standards for Autonomous Vehicles
On March 16, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published two proposed rulemakings designed to ease the path for manufacturing autonomous vehicles and deploying them on public roads. Both proposals would amend existing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) by removing requirements for certain safety equipment that may be unnecessary in vehicles without a human driver. These rulemakings represent an incremental step, not a game changer, in paving the way for a driverless future.