Autonomous vehicles - Alabama

Type of vehicles allowed

• Non-CMV: No
• CMV: Yes; deployment of automated commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) on public roads is allowed with:
  • $2M of liability insurance, and
  • No operator in the vehicle.
  • Note: If the CMV is equipped with a teleoperation system registered in Alabama, the remote driver may operate the vehicle without a driver present in the vehicle if the remote driver has a conventional driver's license.

Automated driving system (ADS)-equipped vehicles: May operate on Alabama roads if the vehicle complies with:

• All applicable traffic and motor vehicle safety laws and rules of Alabama governing the performance of the dynamic driving task (DDT).
• All applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS), except to the extent an exemption has been granted.
• All applicable traffic control devices, including, but not limited to, speed limit signs, other regulatory signs, advisory signs, warning signs, barriers, and construction or work zone signs.
• Registration and title requirements.

Automation level allowed: SAE 4-5; Automated CMVs may be operated without a driver if the vehicle:

• Is capable of operating in compliance with applicable federal law and the traffic and motor vehicle laws of Alabama, including railroad crossings.
• Is registered and titled in accordance with the laws of Alabama.
• Is certified in accordance with 49 C.F.R. Part 567 as complying with FMVSS and bears the required certification label or labels, including reference to any exemption granted under applicable federal law.
• Can achieve a minimal risk condition if a failure occurs rendering the vehicle unable to perform the DDT relevant to its intended operational design domain (ODD) or if the vehicle exits its ODD.
• Is covered by $2 M in liability insurance.

Testing only: No

Platooning: Yes, current state statutes allow for on-highway testing of short-distance platooning convoys of trucks, as Alabama exempts self-driving trucks from certain traffic laws when they are controlled by electronically coordinated speed and braking systems.

• A “truck platoon” is defined in Code of Ala. § 32-1-1.1 (85) as a group of individual commercial trucks traveling in a unified manner at electronically coordinated speeds at following distances that are closer than would be reasonable and prudent without the electronic coordination.
• Exemption from following too closely laws. Code of Ala. § 32-5A-89(d) also exempts the trailing trucks in a "truck platoon" from the state’s following too closely provisions if the truck platoon is engaged in electronic brake coordination and any other requirement imposed by DOT rule. The intent of this exemption is to allow both commercial platooning deployment and activities to provide research for truck platooning technology and to prevent the trailing trucks from receiving a citation for following too closely.

Full operation: Yes

Permit required: Must be registered, titled, and insured.