Thanks for nothing
A “kick in the teeth.”
That’s how the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association described a House subcommittee’s decision to conduct a hearing about autonomous trucks during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.
Strong words, for sure. However, it doesn’t take long to recognize the poor optics.
On Sept. 13, the House Highway and Transit Subcommittee conducted a hearing titled, “The Future of Automated Commercial Motor Vehicles.”
A hearing focused on a timely topic isn’t a misstep by itself, of course. But the subcommittee erred in a couple of ways.
- The subcommittee scheduled a hearing about a technology that some believe will eventually end the truck driving profession right in the middle of a week that was created as a “thank you” to those drivers.
- The subcommittee conducted a hearing aimed at looking at the effects of autonomous trucking without including the truck driver’s perspective on the panel of witnesses.
“Mega carriers can hardly wait to replace millions of American truck driving jobs with autonomous trucks in order to save a buck,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said. “The fact that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee would hold a hearing without any professional drivers to highlight autonomous trucks in the middle of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is a kick in the teeth to the hardworking men and women behind the wheel who keep America’s supply chain running every day.”
OOIDA’s criticism of the glaring oversight didn’t end there. On Sept. 11, the Association sent a letter to the leaders of the subcommittee: Chairman Rick Crawford and Ranking Member Eleanor Holmes Norton.
“It is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, but you wouldn’t know it from the subcommittee’s hearing on the future of autonomous or automated trucks,” OOIDA wrote. “It is bad enough this hearing is being held during a week that is supposed to thank truckers for their dedication, commitment and the many challenges they overcome, as is (the week’s) stated mission. But it is completely inexcusable to hold this hearing without a witness to represent the millions of professional drivers who will be affected by the deployment of these vehicles. Nothing says ‘thank you’ like denying you a seat at the table for a discussion about how to take away your job.”
In addition to calling out the oversight, OOIDA used the letter as a way to ensure that truck drivers’ voices are entered into the autonomous trucking conversation.
“There is not a single representative of drivers participating in this hearing, so we want to ensure committee members hear truckers’ voices about the development and deployment of autonomous or automated trucking technology,” the Association wrote.
Safety
The push toward realizing a new technology shouldn’t be prioritized over safety, OOIDA told lawmakers.
“First and foremost, truckers are concerned about safety – their own – as well as the driving public’s,” OOIDA wrote. “Despite unfounded forecasts and empty promises that automated vehicles will lead to zero deaths, there continue to be real-world situations in which automation has devastatingly failed.”
OOIDA gave examples of crashes involving Tesla vehicles and asked for more transparency in the autonomous vehicle industry. The Association said that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing Initiative has failed to provide that.
“There is no way truckers or the public may reasonably rely on the AV TEST Initiative or any other voluntary reporting system to assess the safety of AV technologies, OOIDA wrote. “The woefully inadequate and out-of-date information made available through AV TEST should make it clear that this is not a viable way to gain truckers’ or the public’s trust. In order to achieve that, Congress must require mandatory data transparency – a request OOIDA and others in the trucking industry have been making for years.”
Easing regulations for autonomous testing
Truck drivers often ask for increased flexibility in regulations in order to make their work less stressful and safer. Those requests often are denied.
That’s why drivers are frustrated that autonomous companies have been granted that flexibility.
“To be clear, OOIDA has long advocated for greater flexibility from the dizzying and often counterproductive array of safety regulations that force our members to work amidst more challenges and less safety,” the Association wrote. “Professional drivers are justifiably frustrated at the potential for the federal government to loosen regulations to help test new technology that will one day replace them on our roads.”
OOIDA’s argument is that if a regulation is necessary for a human driver, then those same regulations should apply to driverless vehicles.
No driver shortage
For years, the mainstream media has reported a shortage of truck drivers.
OOIDA told lawmakers that this assertion is false and shouldn’t be used as justification for driverless trucks. The Association has long contended that there is no shortage. Instead, there is a driver retention issue caused by low pay and poor working conditions at many of the large fleets.
“While there is no shortage of drivers today, the short-sighted rush to deploy autonomous trucks will undoubtedly affect future recruitment and retention,” OOIDA wrote.
Truckers ‘deserve better’
Many lawmakers hailed truck drivers as heroes during the pandemic.
Not long after, OOIDA is calling out some in Congress for failing to appreciate what truck drivers do for the nation.
“Millions of professional drivers deserve better from you than allowing those who stand to benefit from the deployment of autonomous trucks to promote the technology in the midst of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week,” OOIDA wrote. “Excluding drivers from the conversation only demonstrates how out-of-touch or alarmingly apathetic this panel is on how automation will affect American truckers.” LL