California governor vetoes a bill requiring humans in autonomous big rigs

Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed Assembly Bill 316which would have required human assistants in self-driving vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds, reports Reuters. The bill gained widespread support among state legislators and was backed by the Teamsters and other labor organizations. At the moment,

The governor wrote in his veto message that the bill “is unnecessary for the regulation and supervision of heavy-duty autonomous vehicle technology,” adding that the existing regulatory framework is “sufficient.”

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has been given regulatory authority over autonomous vehicles in the state. Newsom writes that the DMV consults with the state highway patrol, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “and others with relevant expertise” to draft laws to ensure the safety of autonomous vehicles. The DMV also regulates robotaxis, which have been involved in incidents such as one in which a Cruise driverless taxi was hit by a fire truck just a week after the state allowed their operation to expand.

Newsom wrote that the DMV had sought input from “stakeholders” to help it craft future self-driving vehicle laws. The department, he added, will seek public comment following a “public and transparent” rulemaking with “subject matter experts and other interested parties.”

The invoice saw overwhelming support among California legislators: 36 state senators affirmed it and only two rejected the measure on September 11, and state assemblymen approved it 69 to 4 on May 31.

Teamsters President Sean O’Brien. wrote that the bill would have saved “jobs and communities,” and vetoing it gives “the green light to launch these dangerous platforms.”

Before the veto, the Teamsters union praised the state assembly on June 1 for approving the measure, saying it is necessary because the DMV is considering rules that would allow trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds on California roads, potentially by 2024. urged Newsom yesterday to pass the bill, noting that he had until October 14 to do so. Newsom rejected it the same day.

“My administration has long been concerned about the impact of technology on the future of work,” Newsom wrote in his veto message, later writing that he would ask the Department of Labor and Workforce to work with stakeholders to recommend ways to mitigate the damage. truck driving can have on the job.