FMCSA Grants Five-Year Beacon Exemption for Aurora Trucks

FMCSA approved a five-year regulatory exemption for Aurora Operations, Inc. and similarly eligible operators, permitting cab-mounted warning beacons to replace roadside warning equipment for stopped Level 4 automated trucks.

The exemption took effect Oct. 7, 2026, and runs through Oct. 7, 2031. Other qualifying carriers must notify FMCSA in writing before operating under the exemption.

The alternative system uses flashing amber lights that meet Class 1 photometric requirements under SAE J595. The lights are mounted high on both sides of the truck cab.

The exemption covers federal requirements involving traditional warning-device placement around stopped commercial vehicles, steady-burning lamps and the type and number of warning devices under 49 CFR §§ 392.22(b), 393.25(e) and 393.95(f).

Aurora’s application cited 109 Class 8 commercial motor vehicles and projected more than 200 Level 4 automated-driving-system vehicles by the end of 2026. Under an earlier waiver, 34 vehicles traveled more than 500,000 miles from Oct. 10, 2025, through Jan. 9, 2026, while the beacons operated for nearly 10 hours.

No crashes had been reported under the earlier waiver as of April 15, 2026. Carriers operating under the exemption must report crashes that occur while the beacons were activated, or should have been activated, and submit performance data.

The exemption follows TokenPost’s earlier coverage of the five-year relief and FMCSA’s 2024 rejection of a broader Aurora-Waymo application, which lacked sufficient technical detail and safety data to demonstrate an equivalent or greater safety level. The new exemption is limited to Level 4 automated-driving-system trucks and does not cover all commercial vehicles or autonomous-driving systems.

FMCSA determined that the exemption would likely provide safety equivalent to or greater than the existing regulations.