Teamsters and supporters rallied on Monday, Sept. 18 in Arcadia, supporting a Legislative bill that would require a human operator in self-driving vehicles weighing 10,001 pounds or more.
The union says Assembly Bill 316 would prioritize safety on the road and put the preservation of an estimated 200,000 California jobs “before the interests of Big Tech.” Opponents say it would derail the state’s move to deliver safe, lower-cost transportation of goods at a time when the trucking industry is struggling to attract and retain drivers.
Smart Trucking, an online career and support organization for truckers, said many drivers are leaving the industry in search of jobs that offer better pay, benefits and working conditions, a trend that has resulted in a shortage of about 60,000 U.S. drivers.
Smart Trucking added that drivers often get nothing for the time they spend stuck in traffic jams, construction zones, bad weather or other delays they encounter on the road.
SB 316 — which a Teamsters representative said the union has supported through contributions to lobbyists — gained final approval in the Senate last week and is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
Newsom has expressed skepticism about the legislation.
Skepticism in Sacramento
Dee Dee Myers, a senior adviser to the governor, said as much in an Aug. 15 letter to Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Davis, one of the bill’s primary authors.
“AB 316 takes an inflexible approach to regulating a growing industry borne out of California’s innovation economy,” she wrote. “We believe that it’s critical to lead with consistent values –inclusivity, competitiveness and sustainability.”
Myers said “significant checks and balances” are already in place for self-driving vehicles, including oversight by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, California Public Utilities Commission, Highway Patrol, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. Department of…
Read the full article here
