HB 97 authorizes Montana’s Department of Transportation to study whether truck platooning can be safely operated in the state and, if the department concludes it can, to adopt rules and standards governing the practice. “Platooning” is defined as the coordinated operation of partially or fully autonomous trucks or truck tractors at electronically controlled speeds and close following distances. The bill requires the department to consult a broad set of stakeholders before proposing rules, including transportation committee members, law enforcement, the trucking industry, technology developers, ranchers, drivers, pedestrians, tribal governments, and local governments.
The bill also amends Montana’s special-permit statute for oversized and overlength vehicles to add a new permit category for platoon operations. Under that provision, the department may issue special permits to operating companies for platoons, require gross vehicle weight fees on each truck or truck tractor in the platoon, impose additional restrictions, and charge $200 for a term permit or $20 per trip. The bill further requires that the lead vehicle’s conductor and any person positioned to take control of a platooned vehicle hold a commercial driver’s license, and it provides rulemaking authority to the department. The measure is tied to Title 61 motor vehicle and highway regulation and is intended to become part of Montana’s transportation code.
The bill’s practical impact is to create a legal pathway for testing and potentially deploying truck platooning in Montana, while keeping final approval contingent on a safety study and agency rulemaking. It would affect trucking companies, autonomous vehicle technology providers, and commercial drivers, as well as highway users and communities along freight corridors. It also preserves the department’s ability to limit routes, operating conditions, and other safety-related requirements through permits and rules.
Overall sentiment appears strongly favorable. The bill advanced with large bipartisan margins in both chambers, including unanimous or near-unanimous committee support and overwhelming passage on House and Senate floor votes. That voting pattern suggests broad legislative interest in exploring freight-efficiency technology, while still requiring a cautious, safety-first implementation process.
The main point of contention is not whether platooning should be studied, but how much discretion and caution should surround its authorization. The bill explicitly highlights Montana’s terrain, weather extremes, communication networks, and public safety as factors to be evaluated, and it requires stakeholder input from groups that may have differing views on safety, road impacts, and rural traffic conditions. Concerns are likely to center on autonomous or semi-autonomous truck operations, close vehicle spacing, enforcement, and the effect on motorists, ranchers, pedestrians, and local governments.
HB 97 adds a new statutory framework within Title 61 for truck platooning and amends Montana’s special-permit law, section 61-10-124, MCA, to authorize permits for platoon operations. It gives the Department of Transportation authority to study platooning safety, adopt rules if the practice is found safe, and regulate permits, fees, routing, and operating conditions for platooned trucks. The bill also imposes commercial driver’s license requirements on the lead operator and any person who may take control of a platooned vehicle, affecting trucking operators and freight technology deployment in Montana.
The bill appears to have enjoyed broad support and little visible opposition. It passed committee unanimously, cleared the House with very large margins, and was also approved by the Senate with a majority vote, indicating generally positive sentiment toward exploring platooning as a freight and transportation innovation. The legislative tone suggests support for modernization, but with an emphasis on safety review and regulatory oversight before implementation.
The principal concerns involve safety, enforcement, and the suitability of platooning for Montana conditions. The bill itself flags terrain, severe weather, communications reliability, and public safety as issues requiring study, and it directs the department to consult stakeholders who may have competing interests, including law enforcement, the trucking industry, ranchers, pedestrians, tribal governments, and local governments. Any disagreement is likely to focus on whether close-following autonomous or semi-autonomous truck convoys can operate safely on Montana highways and what restrictions should apply.