With the rapid development of e-commerce in China, the automated and intelligent level of logistics distribution is continuously improving, and it is heading towards large-scale production and all-round commercial application. Since 2015, driverless delivery vehicles in China have been developing rapidly, and the imp act of “COVID-19” has accelerated the application of driverless delivery vehicles. At present, the application scenarios of driverless delivery vehicles can be divided into closed areas and open areas. However, there is a dispute about the legal status definition of the driverless delivery vehicle, whether it is a “mobile intelligent express box” or a “vehicle in freight transportation.” Regarding these two different legal statuses, the differences in legal regulation applicability and supervision are discussed in detail. This paper proposes that the legal status should be defined based on the type of application scenario. If it is applied in a closed area, such as school and community, it should follow legal regulations of the smart mailbox. If it transports cargos on the public roads such as urban arterial roads, it should follow legal regulations of freight transportation. According to the current laws and regulations in China, this paper summarizes the legal obstacles in the application of driverless distribution vehicles. It is proposed that administrative agencies need to focus on critical issues such as road testing, traffic rules, and industry supervision at this stage. By improving the administrative laws and regulations, these legal obstacles can be solved. Finally, it is suggested that a development environment under a collaborative governance mechanism should be formed.