Driverless Rigs Get Green Light to Earn on the Road Under New Federal Bill

A landmark piece of federal legislation introduced last week could fundamentally reshape the American trucking industry by allowing autonomous freight trucks to generate revenue while still in their testing phase.

The Self Drive Act of 2026, formally introduced on February 5 by Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), grants the Secretary of Transportation explicit authority to permit manufacturers and fleet operators to conduct "limited commercial operations" under a testing permit — a first in federal law.

The distinction matters. Until now, autonomous trucking pilots have been expensive proving exercises with no return. Under the new framework, driverless rigs hauling freight during evaluation would no longer be mere cost centres — they'd be earning their keep.

The bill also takes direct aim at the regulatory patchwork that has frustrated the industry for years, specifically prohibiting states and local jurisdictions from enacting laws that block the manufacture, sale, or deployment of automated driving systems into interstate commerce. For operators running cross-state freight corridors, that provision alone could prove transformative.

Industry advocates have welcomed the legislation as a critical step toward commercial viability. The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association called it "a turning point for American transportation policy," arguing it provides the regulatory certainty needed to scale deployment nationwide.

Not everyone is as enthusiastic. Labour groups and safety advocates have raised concerns about accountability, particularly around the bill's relaxation of crash-reporting timelines — manufacturers now have 30 days to file after an incident, up from 20 in the earlier discussion draft.

The legislation could ultimately be folded into the broader surface transportation reauthorisation package Congress is expected to take up this year.

For an industry mired in a three-year freight recession and chronic driver shortages, the promise of autonomous revenue-generating freight may be the most consequential policy development of 2026.