Big Rigs · Nationwide · October 29, 2026

NHTSA Proposes Blue-Green Marker Lights to Flag Self-Driving Vehicles to Truckers and Other Road Users

By Big Rig Daily Staff

The federal government is proposing a new signal for vehicles that drive themselves: a blue-green light. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would allow optional cyan marker lamps to show when an automated driving system is engaged, CCJ reported on Oct. 29. For truckers sharing the road with driverless trucks, it could be a way to tell them apart. This is a proposal, not a final rule.

What the lights would be

The proposal updates Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, which governs lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment. The optional automated driving system (ADS) marker lamps would be four to eight steady-burning cyan, or blue-green, lamps visible from the front, sides and rear. They would signal to law enforcement and other road users that the automated system is in full control, CCJ reported.

Other changes in the proposal

The proposal would also streamline technical standards for vehicles that lack manual driver controls. CCJ listed these updates:

• Manual control flexibility: vehicles operated only by an automated system would be excused from rules requiring manual turn signal cancellation, hazard warning switches made for human touch, and hand or foot beam switching.
• Headlamp testing: the rigid 12.8-volt test requirement for integral beam headlamps would end, so makers could certify performance at design voltages suited to LED systems.
• Headlamp arrangement: an outdated rule that lower headlamp beams be placed above upper beams would be removed.
• Telltales: for automated vehicles without turn signal telltales for human drivers, the agency proposes a lamp failure telltale in clear view of all designated seating positions.

Vehicles that have manual controls would still be held to the traditional standards.

Why now

CCJ pointed to a busy month for autonomous trucking. Volvo Autonomous Solutions and Waabi launched their first joint commercial operation, hauling freight on the Dallas-Houston corridor for logistics provider Warp. Kodiak AI and Charger Logistics announced a collaboration on a 435-mile lane between Dallas and Laredo, Texas. Separately, Kodiak announced a 75-truck agreement with a California carrier, covered in our report on DTL Transport.

What was not said

The CCJ report did not say when the proposal might become final, and did not give dates for public comment. Readers who want to weigh in should check the notice itself for the comment deadline.

Quick facts

• Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• Proposal: four to eight optional, steady-burning cyan lamps on self-driving vehicles.
• Standard updated: FMVSS No. 108 (lighting).
• Status: notice of proposed rulemaking, not final.

Big Rig Daily has also covered Kodiak's driverless truck uptime on I-45 and an AI reasoning system for autonomous trucks from Einride and Nvidia.

A question for readers

Would a blue-green light help you spot a driverless truck from a distance, or is it one more light to learn?

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