In a significant regulatory update, the Russian government has formally authorized the operation of fully driverless trucks on public roads. The change, enacted through a cabinet order published this week, redefines the safety framework for highly automated vehicles. The revised rules specifically address Level 4 autonomous trucks. Under the new language, a human driver is no longer required to be present inside the cabin during normal operation. The vehicle must manage all driving tasks independently unless it encounters a scenario outside its pre-defined operational limits. Russia uses a five-tier scale for vehicle automation. The update refines the capabilities ascribed to Level 4, which represents high automation. Notably, the government has also removed a previous stipulation that human intervention must act as a fallback for road safety. This move legally distinguishes these systems from Level 3 automation, where a human must be ready to take control, and aligns more closely with the ambition of full autonomy. Heavily automated trucks, primarily from domestic developer SberAutoTech, are already a familiar sight on major highways like the Central Ring Road and the M-11 Neva. Until now, these vehicles operated with a safety driver onboard. The regulatory shift paves the way for those test vehicles to eventually run empty, a step long sought by logistics firms aiming to cut costs and address driver shortages. The order maintains the existing level classification but signals a concrete step toward commercial driverless freight operations.

Source: RIA Novosti