Amid the ongoing shutdown drama, federal transportation officials quietly relaxed an obscure safety regulation that has been stymying the rollout of driverless trucks.

On October 9, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) granted driverless trucking company Aurora's request for a waiver to the federal government's safety triangle rule, which requires that roadside safety placards be placed around disabled trucks.

This seemingly simple rule has acted as a de facto ban on autonomous trucking operations, as a human is needed to place those warning triangles on the road.

The FMCSA's waiver gives Aurora permission to instead use cab-mounted warning beacons to alert passing drivers to disabled trucks on the road.

While a limited and temporary measure, the autonomous vehicle i

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