California governor vetoes bill requiring drivers to be present in self-driving trucks
California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have required the mandatory presence of people in autonomous trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds. This was reported by The Verge with reference to Reuters.
This is the so-called Assembly Bill 316. It received widespread support among state legislators and was backed by the Teamsters and other labor organizations.
For example, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien noted that the draft law would have saved jobs and communities, and vetoing it would give “the green light to put these dangerous vehicles on the road.”
However, the governor is convinced that the bill is not necessary to regulate and oversee heavy autonomous vehicle technology. In his opinion, the existing regulatory framework is sufficient.
Meanwhile, the governor added that he would ask the Department of Labor and Workforce to work with stakeholders to recommend ways to mitigate the damage that autonomous trucks could do to employment levels.
As you know, California has some of the strictest regulations for autonomous vehicles in the country. According to the rules of the California Department of Motor Vehicles, companies have to go through numerous stages to get permission to test and deploy in the state.