The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Colorado requires commercial driver's license holders inside automated commercial trucks and appropriates $14,357
Last action · May 28, 2026: Governor VetoedSponsors: Sheila Lieder and 51 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Colorado prohibits operating a using an unless a licensed commercial driver is present to monitor and intervene, with mandatory driver seat requirements for hazardous material transport and penalties ranging from $1,000 to double for subsequent offenses.
Commercial truck operators and logistics companies must maintain licensed human drivers inside autonomous freight vehicles on highways, facing escalating financial penalties for non-compliance while funding state oversight and safety analysis.
- State legislatures across the country have increasingly introduced bills addressing the regulation, testing, and safety requirements of autonomous and automated commercial motor vehicles. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Commercial motor vehicle operators
Must ensure a licensed commercial driver is present inside automated trucks and follow mandatory seating rules when hauling hazardous materials, or face monetary fines.
Colorado State Patrol
Must analyze highway safety effects and report recommendations to legislative committees by November 1, 2030.
Department of Revenue
Receives an appropriation of $14,357 from the highway users tax fund to implement the act.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are light-duty vehicles required to have a commercial driver inside when using automated systems?
What happens if a commercial vehicle transports hazardous materials using an automated system?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Vetoed by the governor.
Procedural history
15 actions- May 28, 2026Office of the GovernorGovernor Vetoed
- May 21, 2026HouseFloorSigned by the Speaker of the House
- May 21, 2026SenateFloorSigned by the President of the Senate
- May 21, 2026Office of the GovernorEnrolledSent to the Governor
- May 12, 2026SenateFloorSenate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments
- May 11, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced In Senate - Assigned to Transportation & Energy
Show 9 earlier actions
- May 11, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate Committee on Transportation & Energy Refer Unamended to Appropriations
- May 11, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole
- May 11, 2026SenateSenate Second Reading Special Order - Passed - No Amendments
- May 9, 2026HouseFloorHouse Third Reading Passed - No Amendments
- May 8, 2026HouseHouse Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
- May 7, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole
- May 7, 2026HouseHouse Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee
- Mar 18, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse Committee on Transportation, Housing & Local Government Refer Amended to Appropriations
- Feb 20, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced In House - Assigned to Transportation, Housing & Local Government
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Voting Record
Refer House Bill 26-1286 to the Committee of the Whole.
Total
7
- Yes
- 6
- No
- 1
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Show 4 earlier roll calls
Refer House Bill 26-1286 to the Committee on Appropriations.
Total
9
- Yes
- 5
- No
- 3
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
- Other positions
- 1
How they voted (9)
Adopt amendment L.017
Total
7
- Yes
- 3
- No
- 4
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Refer House Bill 26-1286, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole.
Total
7
- Yes
- 7
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Refer House Bill 26-1286, as amended, to the Committee on Appropriations.
Total
3
- Yes
- 3
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 47 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Autonomous Vehicle Oversight
The legislation introduces temporary operational constraints on automated commercial vehicles coupled with a mandated safety study before the rule's expiration in 2031.
Connected Entities
Sources
leg.colorado.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz50Current news / social attention level
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