California DMV tightens AV responder rules

California’s Department of Motor Vehicles approved new autonomous-vehicle rules on April 28 that tighten emergency-response requirements and open the state to heavy-duty driverless trucks. (dmv.ca.gov) The rules cover both light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles, and the DMV said manufacturers can now apply to test and deploy autonomous trucks and transit vehicles on California roads. (dmv.ca.gov) For emergency crews, the headline change is speed and access: companies must respond to first-responder calls within 30 seconds, provide access to manual override systems, and update first-responder interaction plans every year. (dmv.ca.gov) (actionnewsnow.com) The DMV also said local emergency officials can issue temporary electronic “do not enter” or “restricted area” orders during public-safety incidents, and autonomous vehicles already inside those zones must leave. (dmv.ca.gov) The new framework changes how companies reach commercial service. Manufacturers must start with testing using a safety driver, then move to driverless testing, and only then apply for deployment permits. (dmv.ca.gov) At each step, the mileage bar is high: 50,000 miles per phase for light-duty vehicles and 500,000 miles per phase for heavy-duty vehicles, plus a structured safety case covering hardware, software, and operations. (dmv.ca.gov) The DMV said the rules also let law enforcement cite autonomous-vehicle companies for moving violations committed by their vehicles, adding a direct enforcement tool that did not exist in the earlier program. (dmv.ca.gov) California had released the rewrite for public comment in 2025 after publishing draft testing-and-deployment regulations in August 2024, then folded in legislative changes from Assembly Bill 1777. (dmv.ca.gov 1) (dmv.ca.gov 2) The result is a tougher rulebook for the vehicles already on the road and a path for bigger autonomous freight and transit vehicles that California had long kept out. (dmv.ca.gov)