California Senate panel pauses autonomous trucks restriction

A California bill intended to slow down efforts to put autonomous large trucks on state roadways has been put on the back burner.

Since 2015, the operation of autonomous trucks on California roadways has been prohibited. State law, however, allows for testing and operation of autonomous vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds without a driver behind the wheel.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles is considering changes to the ban on autonomous trucks.

Autonomous truck restriction

The Senate Appropriations Committee this week took up for consideration a bill that would restrict the use of autonomous trucks on California roadways.

Sponsored by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, AB316 would prohibit the operation of autonomous vehicles 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. Assuming there is legislative approval, the DMV would still need to wait another year before issuing a permit.

The committee voted to send the bill to the suspense file. This classification is a method that can be used to allow legislation to die without getting further debate.

Aguiar-Curry’s bill previously swept through the Assembly this spring with landslide support in committees and on the chamber floor. In July, the Senate Transportation Committee voted unanimously to advance AB316 to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Newsom administration gets involved

Gov. Gavin Newsom this week took the unusual step to get involved with pending legislation.

The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development provided testimony 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 say Newsom’s actions are a clear signal that the governor prioritizes the state’s economic competitiveness over concerns about job losses and road safety.

Aguiar-Curry previously told the Senate Transportation Committee her bill places a needed guardrail on the deployment of autonomous trucks on state roads.

“Testing and deployment of light-duty autonomous vehicles in California has been fraught with malfunctions, including autonomous vehicles blocking traffic by suddenly stopping in the middle of the road, driving through emergency response scenes, impeding emergency vehicles and causing accidents,” she said.

She 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.

OOIDA supports legislative action

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

“Without more data about how AVs will function and their impact on the industry, OOIDA is concerned that legislators and regulators will put on blinders and push for more technology as the answer to the industry’s problems without considering the negative impacts of these technologies,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer wrote in a previous letter to Aguiar-Curry.

“It is difficult to fully understand what effect AVs will have on the trucking industry,” he added. “Regardless of their potential, it is important to understand the implications that AVs will have on public roadways.”

In addition to safety concerns, Spencer said it is important for California to “more fully consider the practical implications that eliminating the human driver from the cab might have on the economy.” LL

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