Trucking Laws · Nationwide · November 3, 2026

Truckers Can Comment Through Nov. 26 on NHTSA's Plan for Optional Cyan Lights on Driverless Trucks, and About 30 Comments Are In

By Big Rig Daily Staff

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is asking the public to weigh in on how driverless vehicles should be lit, and truckers have until Nov. 26, 2026, to comment. Land Line reported on Nov. 2 that about 30 comments had been filed so far. Big Rig Daily covered the proposal itself earlier; this report focuses on the comment period.

How to comment

NHTSA will accept comments through Nov. 26, 2026. To submit one, go to Regulations.gov and enter docket number NHTSA-2026-1519. As of Nov. 2, about 30 comments had been filed, according to Land Line.

What the proposal would do

According to Land Line, NHTSA published a notice of proposed rulemaking to modernize lighting equipment requirements for vehicles designed to be driven exclusively by automated driving systems (ADS). The proposal would update Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 in several ways:

• It would modernize requirements for manual turn signal, hazard warning and beam-switching controls for vehicles operated only by an ADS. Physical manual controls would no longer be required for those vehicles.
• It would standardize performance criteria for ADS marker lamps. ADS-equipped vehicles would be permitted, but not required, to carry cyan marker lamps that make others aware the vehicle is being operated without a driver.

NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said: "As automotive technology continues to evolve, our safety standards must keep pace with innovation in ways that do not compromise public safety."

What commenters are saying

Land Line cites one commenter, Maxim Vovenko, who wrote that the agency should consider how other drivers may change their behavior when they know they are sharing the road with a driverless vehicle. "A driver who expects an ADS to respond conservatively and avoid collisions may exploit that behavior by cutting in front of the vehicle, unnecessarily forcing it to yield, brake-checking it or otherwise expecting the ADS to compensate for unsafe behavior," Vovenko wrote. Land Line says several others voiced concerns about the brightness and glare of LED headlights.

Where it fits

Land Line notes the proposal comes weeks after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced it would allow driverless trucks to use cab-mounted warning beacons when stopped on a highway shoulder. The Department of Transportation describes the effort as part of an attempt to "unleash" American innovation. Big Rig Daily has also reported on Aurora's driverless truck goal and on New Mexico lawmakers' look at driverless testing rules.

What is not known

The sources do not say when NHTSA expects to finish the rule or what the final lamp requirements would be. The cyan lamps are proposed as optional.

Quick facts

• Agency: NHTSA, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
• Comment deadline: Nov. 26, 2026.
• Where: Regulations.gov, docket NHTSA-2026-1519.
• Comments so far: about 30 as of Nov. 2.
• Lamps: cyan, optional, for vehicles driven only by automated systems.

FAQ

Are the cyan lights required?

No. The proposal would permit, but not require, ADS marker lamps.

Can anyone comment?

Land Line describes a public comment period at Regulations.gov. Comments are filed under docket NHTSA-2026-1519.

Would the rule apply to trucks with a human driver?

The proposal targets vehicles designed to be driven exclusively by automated driving systems, according to Land Line.

A question for readers

Truckers, if you saw a cyan light on the truck ahead of you, would it change how you share the road with it?

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