LOS ANGELES — As California regulators explore new rules to put self-driving semi-trucks on the road, labor unions are rushing to the state Legislature to ask for a new law they say will protect their jobs — the start of a debate that could shape the future of the nation’s nearly $900-billion trucking industry.
California already has rules governing self-driving cars and delivery trucks that weigh less than 10,001 pounds. Now, the California Department of Motor Vehicles is gathering information for potential new rules that would let self-driving semi-trucks weighing as much as 80,000 pounds on the road.
The rule-making process takes a long time, and is mostly crafted by officials in Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration. Labor unions aren’t waiting around for that to happen. Instead, they’ve asked the Legislature — where they have considerably more influence given their prolific campaign contributions — to intervene.
More than 100 members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters joined Assembly member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, a Democrat from Winters, earlier this year as she announced new legislation to require all self-driving semi-trucks to have a human driver present to oversee them.
Labor leaders have focused much of their messaging on public safety — an argument seemingly tailored to appeal to the driving public.
Mike Fry, a San Francisco truck driver with 27 years of experience, told a frightening story about a passenger car losing control and getting wedged beneath his trailer. Fry said he knew not to slam on the brakes, so he slowly made his way to the side of the road and drove next to some bushes that dislodged the car, which he said “popped the car out like a Pop-Tart.”
“You cannot program instinct into a computer,” Fry told the crowd. “There is no way they can think like that.”
But beyond safety issues, labor unions see the technology as a threat to their jobs. Speakers at the rally attacked what they view as corporate greed, name-dropping Elon Musk, the billionaire head of electric vehicle company Tesla. The company has promised to deliver semi-trucks that would be able to follow one another autonomously in a convoy.
Teamsters regional Vice President Lindsay Dougherty said California has 500,000 commercial truck drivers on the road, giving it outsized importance in terms of shaping national transportation policy.
“So goes California, so goes the rest of the nation,” she said. “If we lose this, we’re never getting them back.”
Multiple companies are testing self-driving technology for semi-trucks, and many have eyed California as a place to eventually deploy the technology given its busy ports that require lots of trucks to transport goods to warehouses.
The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Assn., an industry trade group that supports self-driving technology, has argued that autonomous trucks would make for safer roadways, asserting that computers make fewer mistakes than humans. Asked about Aguiar-Curry’s bill, the group pointed to a statement from Executive Director Jeff Farrah issued last week in response to a public hearing on potential new state regulations.
“It’s important to remember that it will take time for AV [autonomous vehicle] trucks’ full potential to be reached in the Golden State, with deployment taking place gradually over the years to fill in current and future labor shortages,” Farrah said. “Therefore, it is imperative the California DMV begin a rule-making for development of AV trucks so consumers and businesses can realize these opportunities while also preparing the workforce of tomorrow for this shift.”
Aguiar-Curry said she isn’t opposed to fully self-driving semi-trucks but believes the technology isn’t ready.
“There may be a time, 30 or 40 years from now — and I won’t be around to see it — where hopefully that they might be able to do that,” she said. “This isn’t the time to do it. It’s all about timing.”
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. The Trucker Media Group is subscriber of The Associated Press has been granted the license to use this content on TheTrucker.com and The Trucker newspaper in accordance with its Content License Agreement with The Associated Press.
im a truck driver myself, and I truly believe this is all about money and has nothing to do with public safety.
couldn’t have said it any better myself besides that i wouldn’t want to be stuck in a robot 🚛 💨💨 doing what ever it wants to do. it’ll be like being in a 80.000 lb rolling ⚰️ waiting to go to the upper room.
Pretty sure people we’ll figure out how to hack them and cause chaos that just the world we live in
as the horse & carriage qent away and the automobile came in. the people who made the harness and straps, learned to make the leather seats. same as the truckers will learn a need trade. Since they all belong to the Progressive movement…. and Progressive means “new way” ….. time from them to learn
So what do we do when technology takes away virtually all jobs? Live off the government? That as we all know works out quite lovely. When is enough technology actually enough?
I’m glad this won’t happen in my lifetime. Truck drivers could always become funeral directors and undetskes as they will need a lot of them with self driving trucks.
Obviously you know nothing about operating a large commercial vehicle, tractor trailers especially. Who will do the legally required daily inspection? Who will put fuel in it or put it on charger, whichever is required? Who will monitor the truck while it is in operation and stop a a safe location to call in for a repair truck to do unexpected roadside repairs? Who will talk to the shipper or receiver about the load, loading and unloading, secure the load and sign for the load and other legally required paperwork before a load leaves or is received on a loading dock? Who is going to call into dispatch and/or the person receiving or shipping the load when you arrive at the address on the waybill but it is the wrong/old or incorrect address and people have to figure out where truck actually is and where the correct address that the truck now needs to correctly go to? Who will open/close the doors on the truck? And how many thousands and thousands of lines of computer code that have not even been thought of yet to calculate how to back up the trailer to the loading dock in an unusual, tight clearance awkward space to maneuver the truck in? Driving down the interstate highway is less than 50% of what a truck driver does today. Self driving trucks are coming and advances in adaptive cruise control, lane holding and collision mitigation systems are all great when they are working well under most conditions. These systems fail a lot of the time and drivers just drive on, the old fashioned way of hands on the wheel and eyes out the window and on the mirrors. Self driving trucks are coming……but I agree with the congressman…..that it will be 30 to 40 years down the road and they will need a C3PO type of humanoid robot in the truck besides just the self driving AI that can talk to shipperand walk around and open/close the doors. Anyone who thinks this is happening in 10 years does not have a clue what they are talking about.
Do you really think is all about your list ? of what do . All those other jobs are on “chopping Block too”. this is about 100% ..population control they want the world to shrink 1 to 5 trucks can feed a small city…or town working around the clock no will be on the road {human wise}….one truck will talk to the other and that how everything come to balance…..8 years ago I came across an article about eliminating ALL INDEPENDENT DRIVERS … from taxi to subcontractors to lawyers to accountants, restaurants owners …..the THEY hate “small people” that bypass the education system and making a good living …think about a ex-con can make 6 figures in this career…they hate that and pay off his rig in 5 years of $250K and maybe buy another …he just has watch his heath….You get a lawyer has to work 10-15 years to payoff ….before he gets to keep his first pay check. they know WHAT THEY IMPACTING….but YOU KEEP PUT YOUR MONEY IN THOSE TECH STOCK TO DEVELOP THAT TRUCK THAT HAS YOUR JOB ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK
so are generations to come will be out of work behind corporate greed
They are doing this under our noses, they are taking everything from us slowly and quietly. Every single person I know in this industry has filed for bankruptcy, and no one cares,there is no relief for truckers. This is extremely sad for them. We’re and what are the supposed too do?? After dedicating their lived too being away from family and delivering our goods?? unbelievable. No one is fighting for them, they are sinking slowly and with no lifeguard. Please support our most important truckers who work 14 hrs a day risking their lives, away from family and much more too list for the sake of God.
I have an idea. since truckers lose money waiting at a port, have the auto trucks pick up at Port then at a transfer station have human drivers take it the rest of the way. that would be a compromise. let’s be real, these auto trucks need more practice. let them practice on short distances.
I believe Wally already has AI for short loads from Distribution warehouses to local stores w/in an hour.
im gonna trust autonomous trucks on ever changing roadways but they won’t trust fully autonomous trains on a rail or plane’s that fly. when most plane’s take off and land by computer already