Autonomous trucks are now rolling down Texas highways — in the dark, at full speed, with no one behind the wheel. Aurora Innovation, the company behind the technology, says its self-driving trucks can see farther than the length of three football fields at night. But that’s a promise, not a guarantee.

These trucks are already hauling food and freight between cities like Dallas and Houston, and companies are racing to expand these operations nationwide. In some areas, like parts of West Texas and New Mexico, trucks are already running around the clock without a human on board.

But where are the rules? Where is the public input? And who is responsible if something goes wrong at 70 miles an hour in the dead of night?

Autonomous vehicles don’t get tired — but they also don’t feel road conditions, can’t adapt to chaos, and don’t pull over to help in an emergency. If one of these trucks malfunctions, there’s no one to take the wheel. No one to make a judgment call. No one to call 911.

That should concern every person who shares the road — especially families driving at night, first responders, and truckers whose livelihoods are now threatened by machines being tested in real time, on public roads, without consent.

We’re calling on the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to halt the expansion of autonomous truck operations until stronger federal safety standards are in place. That includes clear weather and night-driving rules, crash response protocols, and full transparency to local communities along any route.

We don’t get a second chance to get this right. Before these trucks show up in your town — before a system fails and takes someone with it — demand public safety rules that put people before profit.

Add your name to demand real oversight now.