Dive Brief:
- California legislators reintroduced a bill on Thursday to give politicians, rather than state regulators, the final say on keeping safety operators onboard autonomous heavy-duty trucks.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the original bill last September, furthering a rift between the state and Teamsters who say the proposal aims to protect public safety and drivers’ jobs.
- The legislative efforts seek to give state legislators more oversight over the AV sector, which is currently regulated by California’s Department of Motor Vehicles.
Dive Insight:
The renewed push for autonomous truck regulations is eliciting tensions between the AV industry and the public, following accidents involving driverless cars.
At the same time, the AV industry continues to advocate for itself, making the case the vehicles are safe based on companies’ efforts to validate the technology.
Autonomous tech companies will need to make their case before regulators to allow humanless vehicles on public roads, even if California laws remain in their current framework. Currently, the Golden State only allows autonomous vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less to test without safety operators.
AVIA — representing firms such as Aurora Innovation, Kodiak Robotics, Volvo and Waabi — is also seeking to make the case that AVs and drivers can coexist.
“California needs truck drivers and autonomous trucks, and both will thrive together in the future,” Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association CEO Jeff Farrah said in a statement last week. “California faces acute supply chain challenges, and truck drivers and autonomous trucks will work together to support the state’s farmers, ranchers, manufacturers and small businesses.”
The proposed law aligns with another Teamsters-supported bill, which calls for requiring a local ordinance to allow autonomous vehicles to operate in an area.
“California must implement real AV safety standards and ensure local municipalities have a say in AV deployment,” said Peter Finn, president of Teamsters Joint Council 7.
