# Self-driving trucks clear a federal hurdle

> Aurora and Kodiak win a five-year exemption from roadside warning rules, replacing triangles with cab-mounted beacons.
- Title: Self-driving trucks clear a federal hurdle · TechCrunch
- Summary: Aurora and Kodiak win a five-year exemption from roadside warning rules, replacing triangles with cab-mounted beacons. Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI won a…
- Keywords: aurora innovation, kodiak ai, self-driving trucks, federal exemption, autonomous vehicles, transportation, technology, startups, Self-driving, trucks, clear, federal
- Source: TechCrunch — https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/11/techcrunch-mobility-a-roadblock-clears-for-self-driving-trucks
- Author: Kirsten Korosec
- Published: 2026-10-11T16:02:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: aurora innovation, kodiak ai, self-driving trucks, federal exemption, autonomous vehicles, transportation, technology, startups
## A rule blocks self-driving trucks
Federal regulations require human drivers to place reflective warning triangles on the road within ten minutes when a truck breaks down. Self-driving trucks have no human driver to do this.
## Aurora takes the fight to court
Aurora Innovation sued federal safety regulators over the requirement. After losing, the company escalated to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals while operating under a temporary waiver.
## The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration grants exemption
The agency has granted a five-year exemption allowing self-driving truck companies to replace roadside warning triangles with cab-mounted warning beacons instead.
## Aurora and Kodiak get the green light
Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI have been given approval from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to use the new cab-mounted warning beacon system.
## Kodiak sees a path forward
Daniel Goff, vice president of external affairs at Kodiak AI, said the exemption will help the industry usher in an autonomous era of freight movement on U.S. roads.

> usher in an autonomous era of freight movement on U.S. roads, one that can save lives and improve the efficiency of goods delivery.
## Aurora emphasizes safety benefits
Gerardo Interiano, Aurora's head of government relations and public affairs, said the beacons are a critical solution that enhances roadside safety without putting people in harm's way.

> critical, twenty-first-century solution that enhances roadside safety by immediately alerting other road users without ever needing to put a person in harm's way.
## Redwood Materials restructures further
Battery-recycling company Redwood Materials, started by Tesla co-founder JB Straubel, laid off around one hundred thirty-five employees, or ten percent of its workforce, in the first stage of restructuring.
## More Redwood executives depart
Over recent weeks, Redwood's vice presidents of engineering, operations, treasury, and external affairs have all left the startup as the company continues its restructuring.
## Waymo raises five billion dollars in debt
Waymo turned to debt financing for the first time, raising five billion dollars with lead lenders PIMCO, Blackstone, and Sixth Street, plus many others including Capital Group and Fidelity.
## Waymo accelerates global expansion
The debt financing comes as Waymo accelerates its commercial expansion within existing cities while pushing into new markets in the United States, Europe, and Japan.
## Other deals in mobility and freight
Parallel Systems raised one hundred million dollars in Series C funding for a rail vehicle capable of moving over several tons of freight as far as five hundred miles without an operator.
## Kodiak launches new autonomous route
Kodiak AI has a new four hundred thirty-five-mile autonomous route between Dallas and Laredo, Texas, with carrier Charger USA, hauling refrigerated and dry freight.
## Flock cuts workforce amid backlash
Surveillance camera maker Flock cut its workforce by eighteen percent, or around two hundred seventy employees, as the company faces ongoing backlash to its license plate readers and people-tracking technology.
## Key takeaway

Aurora Innovation and Kodiak AI won a five-year federal exemption allowing self-driving trucks to use cab-mounted warning beacons instead of reflective triangles when disabled, removing a major barrier to commercial deployment.