OHP addresses concerns as self-driving semi trucks hit Oklahoma roads

Oklahomans will soon see semis on the road without a driver inside. That has people asking questions about safety.

The Oklahoma legislature passed a law in 2019, which was modified in 2022, allowing for fully autonomous commercial trucks on Oklahoma highways as long as they meet federal safety standards and follow state traffic laws.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is tasked with governing the operation of these trucks on Oklahoma roads. Troopers have been meeting with the truck makers and have trained to learn as much as possible about these trucks before they start operating. News On 6 asked troopers questions like: How will troopers pull them over? How do the trucks avoid crashes? How do the trucks handle unexpected situations?

Nearby states like Texas already have these trucks on the roads, which OHP says is helpful.

“We did have a lot of the same questions the public has. We have a lot of the same concerns about safety,” said Lieutenant Mark Southall with OHP. “We haven’t heard any bad stories from these other states. This company claims they’ve traveled two million miles without an at-fault collision. Meaning they have not been the causation of any collision.”

High-tech cameras in the trucks

OHP says they learned the trucks have cameras that can see a small animal 600 meters away, day or night. This camera system helps the trucks avoid crashes or anything in the roadway.

“We learned the camera systems in these vehicles are very sophisticated, that they can capture an image as small as a small animal up to 600 meters away. Looking at that the human eye can’t see 600 meters away or see something that small, but these cameras can pick that up and begin to make maneuvers to make sure they stay safe,” said Southall. “The cameras are very, very accurate, and they can avoid those crashes. We watched videos when we went to this training where we watched them avoid those crashes.”

How does the truck handle an unexpected road closure?

OHP says the trucking companies say the trucks have been put through just about every situation imaginable.

“The company has put this vehicle using AI through multiple different situations and scenarios that it’s learned from. If it comes upon a situation it wasn’t prepared for, using the camera system inside the vehicle, I think it begins to recognize what it needs to do,” said Southall.

How does law enforcement pull over the trucks?

“These trucks, from what we are told, are made to recognize when they are being stopped, they are made to recognize the red and blue lights and pull over to the shoulder,” said Southall. “If the vehicle senses red and blue lights and maybe they are not being pulled over, they’ll still pull over to the shoulder and stop and let the emergency vehicle go by.”

How does OHP get information if there is no driver?

OHP says there is a number on the cab of the truck that they call, and it takes them to a dispatch center. All of the trucks are equipped with a lock box with the truck’s documentation.

“The dispatch center will give us a code to be able to get into the box, and we can look at the documents on the truck from there,” said Southall.

What if a citizen sees a truck that has crashed or is on fire?

If a citizen sees the truck crashed or on fire, they can call the number on the cab, which goes to the dispatch center.

What if the truck has a mechanical problem while on the road?

OHP says if the vehicle has any sort of malfunction, it is supposed to pull over to the side of the road and stop, and it will alert dispatch.

Will the trucks be on every highway in Oklahoma?

The trucks won’t be on every highway in Oklahoma. For now, the trucks are expected to only run on the major travel routes like I-35 and I-40.

“We don’t work for this trucking company; our interest is working for the people of Oklahoma to make sure these roadways are safe. This is something the state legislature made state law, and we’ve got to begin to work with it so we can understand it,” said Southall.

The trucks could be on Oklahoma roads with drivers for testing as early as this month.