Unmanned trucks allowed to drive on Russian roads without a driver

The Russian government has adopted a decree extending the experimental legal regime (EPR) allowing unmanned trucks to drive on public roads until 2028. Innovations have appeared in the EPR — the movement of "highly automated vehicles" (VATS) has become possible without the presence of a person in the cabin, Kommersant reported on November 17.

We are talking about WATS of the second category, for such vehicles, control can be completely entrusted to automation with "remote routing", and the presence of a person in the cabin is optional. The appearance of such cars on the roads is expected in 2026.

At the same time, previously, first-category VATS could only drive with a tester in the driver's seat, who secured the operation of automation, now drivers are allowed to be in the passenger seat. This rule applies to trucks that currently travel along the M-11 and the Central Ring Road.

The decree also introduces stricter requirements for autonomous vehicles, which regulate actions to minimize the risks of an accident in the event of a critical malfunction of the automated system. In addition, it is prescribed that drivers participating in the tests should not have criminal records. The list of regions where driverless cars can drive has also been expanded: Bashkiria, Perm Krai and Sverdlovsk Region have joined the project.

EPR was launched in 2023 to test technologies, 90 autonomous KAMAZ and Navio trucks transported cargo along the M-11 and the Central Ring Road, their total mileage exceeded 9.5 million km. The government predicts that by the end of the "pilot" all participating WATS of the first category should travel a total of at least 17.6 million km, the second — at least 100 thousand km.

They drive themselves: driverless cars may appear on Russian roads

Russia to expand experiment on operation of self-driving cars

Earlier, on April 10, it became known that cargo unmanned vehicles will begin mass production at KAMAZ in 2028. The Naberezhnye Chelny auto giant has provided three unmanned vehicles for moving in the Moscow region — two Mayak-1 trucks and a second-generation Mayak-2 car.

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