OOIDA says safety first when crafting autonomous vehicle policy

In August, the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Task Force on Autonomous Vehicles met for a long-term policy workshop. Making sure that the needs of truckers are being addressed, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association submitted comments to the task force.

In a letter to ODOT, OOIDA President Todd Spencer pointed out that autonomous technology can drastically change the trucking industry. Spencer said federal and state governments need to be careful when drafting policies, because truckers are likely to be the first to experience shortcomings in the technology.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao recognized that autonomous technology can present a challenge to the nearly 4 million drivers with a CDL, according to the letter.

“Regardless of their potential, it is important to understand the safety implications automated vehicles will have on public roadways,” Spencer wrote. “Despite the various claims that (autonomous vehicles) will lead to zero deaths, news articles and case-studies have presented real-world situations in which automation has devastatingly failed.” LL