West Virginia Code 17H-1-12 – Platooning
(a) General rule. The department shall be the lead state agency on fully autonomous vehicle platooning under this section.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 17H-1-12
- ADS: means the hardware and software that are collectively capable of performing the entire dynamic driving task on a sustained basis, regardless of whether it is limited to a specific operational design domain. See West Virginia Code 17H-1-3
- Fully autonomous vehicle: means a motor vehicle equipped with an automated driving system (ADS) designed to function without a human driver as a level 4 or 5 system under SAE J3016. See West Virginia Code 17H-1-3
- Person: means a natural person, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, governmental agency, public corporation, or any legal or commercial entity. See West Virginia Code 17H-1-3
- Platooning: means a situation when no more than three fully autonomous vehicles are traveling in concert, pursuant to a pre-determined written travel plan that identifies the vehicles and proposed route. See West Virginia Code 17H-1-3
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
(b) Platoon restrictions. A platoon shall observe the following restrictions:
(1) A maximum of three vehicles shall be in a platoon;
(2) Vehicles in a platoon shall travel only on limited access highways or interstate highways, unless otherwise permitted by the Department or the West Virginia Division of Highways;
(3) The department or the West Virginia Division of Highways, as applicable under subdivision (2) of this subsection, may restrict movement under this section for operational or safety reasons, including, but not limited to, emergency conditions; and
(4) Consistent with applicable federal and state laws, the lead vehicle in a platoon may operate with a driver and non-lead vehicles may operate with an ADS engaged, with or without a driver.
(c) Plan for general platoon operations. A person may operate a platoon on a highway of this state if the person files and reviews a plan for general platoon operations with the department. The department shall review the plan in consultation with the State Police and the Division of Highways, as applicable. If the plan is not rejected by the department within 30 days after receipt of the plan, the person may operate the platoon.
(d) Non-lead vehicles. Non-lead vehicles in a platoon are not subject to violations of this code relating to following too closely.
(e) Visual identifiers required. Each vehicle in a platoon must be marked with a visual identifier. The department, after consultation with the State Police and the Division of Highways shall establish the criteria and placement of the visual identifier.