First Responder Plans for Texas Driverless Fleets
Published
Rules in effect since January 1, 2026. Law checked through October 18, 2026.
Rome's first organized fire brigade belonged to Marcus Crassus, and Plutarch reports that he bought burning houses at a bargain before his men put the fires out. Emergencies have always exposed the gap between who owns a thing and who must deal with it when it fails. A driverless vehicle stopped across a lane at night poses the old question in a new form: the firefighter at the door has no driver to ask.
Texas answered with paperwork that must exist before the first commercial trip. Section 545.455(c)(2) of the Transportation Code requires a plan, filed with the Department of Public Safety, telling firefighters, police, ambulance crews, and other emergency workers how to deal with the vehicle. The statute names four elements: how to reach a fleet support specialist available while the vehicle operates, how to remove and tow the vehicle safely, how to tell whether the automated driving system is engaged, and any other information the operator or manufacturer considers necessary about hazards. The Public Safety Commission set the form and manner in 37 Texas Administrative Code §§ 39.1 through 39.3, effective January 1, 2026. In its responses to public comments, the department described expectations that a telephone number and a QR code linking to the plan appear on the vehicle, that a named contact be responsible for the plan, and that the plan be updated after material changes; operators should confirm those points in the text of § 39.3 itself.
The plan is also the hinge of the TxDMV authorization. An applicant must certify that DPS has received it, and a change in material information triggers the 30-day update duty. A fleet that grows, adds a vehicle platform, or changes its support center has, in practical terms, changed its plan.
Limits
The rule prescribes what a plan must contain and how to submit it; it does not set response-time standards, certify that the plan works, or alter the post-collision duties in Chapter 550, which still apply through § 545.457.
Sources
- Tex. Transp. Code §§ 545.455(c)(2), 545.456(b)(3), (e), 545.457
- 37 Tex. Admin. Code §§ 39.1-39.3 (adopted, 50 TexReg, Dec. 26, 2025)