California Senate advances autonomous trucks restriction

A California bill intended to slow efforts to put autonomous trucks without safety drivers on state roadways has swept through the statehouse, despite opposition from the governor.

Operation of autonomous trucks without a safety driver has been prohibited on California roadways for nearly a decade. However, testing of autonomous vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds without a safety driver has been allowed.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles is considering changes to the autonomous trucks ban that could open the door for large driverless trucks. A bipartisan effort at the statehouse would block the DMV from making those changes.

Autonomous truck restriction

Senators voted 36-2 this week to advance a bill that would restrict the use of autonomous trucks on California roadways. Assembly lawmakers already approved the bill on a 69-4 vote.

The bill next heads to the governor’s desk for a likely veto. Both statehouse chamber votes of approval exceeded the two-thirds margin needed for a veto override.

Sponsored by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, AB316 would prohibit autonomous vehicle operation with a gross vehicle weight of at least 10,001 pounds for testing purposes, transporting goods or transporting passengers without a “human safety operator physically present” in the vehicle during operation.

The DMV would be required to submit a policy report at least five years after testing. At that time, a legislative oversight hearing would follow. Even with legislative approval, the DMV would need to wait another year before issuing a permit.

Newsom administration opposes AB316

As the bill neared passage in the Senate, the governor’s office took the unusual step to get involved with pending legislation.

The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development provided testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee in opposition to AB316. Dee Dee Myers, the administration’s top business official, told lawmakers the bill “takes an inflexible approach to regulating a growing industry.”

“Our state is on the cusp of a new era and cannot risk stifling innovation at this critical juncture,” Myers wrote in submitted testimony.

Bill supporters have shared concern that the governor is prioritizing the state’s economic competitiveness over concerns about job losses and road safety.

Senators were informed about recent issues with autonomous vehicles in the state. A bill analysis states that police and fire chiefs in San Francisco, “home of the most intensive AV deployment,” have objected to the expansion of that deployment due to concerns about street blockages and interference with public safety vehicles.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, wrote on social media that the bill would protect jobs and public safety by requiring a human safety operator in autonomous trucks while on public roads.

Aguiar-Curry added there is nothing about a human operator that prevents the autonomous trucking industry from testing and deploying autonomous vehicles anywhere in California.

“The only conceivable motivation for rushing forward without a monitor in the cab is to increase profits at the risk of public safety and the livelihoods of our trained expert trucking workforce,” Aguiar-Curry testified.

🚨Legislative Alert🚨 #AB316 Passed the Senate Floor (36-2) and is headed to the @CAgovernor desk!

Thank you to my sponsors @CaliforniaLabor and @Calteamster and my staff for all their hard work! pic.twitter.com/hJYwL7QkYa

— Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (@AsmAguiarCurry) September 12, 2023

OOIDA/Teamsters advocate for legislation

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has noted that while autonomous technologies might improve safety under certain conditions, they create new risks with dangerous outcomes.

“It is difficult to fully understand what effect AVs will have on the trucking industry. Regardless of their potential, it is important to understand the implications that AVs will have on public roadways,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer wrote in a previous letter to Aguiar-Curry.

The Teamsters have pointed out that Newsom thanked truck drivers for “risking their lives to keep the economy afloat” during the pandemic.

Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said the governor needs to prove that he cares about truck drivers.

“If Gov. Newsom vetoes this bill, he is putting the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of truck drivers at risk, while jeopardizing public safety,” O’Brien said in prepared remarks.

The Teamsters are planning rallies for next week in Los Angeles and Sacramento in support of AB316. LL

More Land Line coverage of news from California.