Push To Temporarily Ban Self Driving Trucks In California

Sacramento, CA — A rally was held Tuesday at the California state capitol where union leaders, truck drivers, and many lawmakers called for Governor Gavin Newsom to sign a bill that would temporarily ban large self-driving trucks.

It would impact vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds, which would include most delivery and big rig trucks. It is designed save truck driver jobs while the new technology is still being tested. If signed, a human would be required to be on board the large trucks until at least 2029.

The bill easily passed in the Assembly and Senate, but there is an inside push within the administration for Governor Newsom to veto it.

The bill would cost about $1 million annually to implement, and members of Newsom’s administration have argued that it could push autonomous vehicle companies out of state. DeeDee Myers, a senior advisor to Newsom, sent a letter, stating, “Our state is on the cusp of a new era and cannot risk stifling innovation.”

The Governor has until October 14 to either sign or veto it.

The state’s legislative database notes that Mother Lode Democratic Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil voted in favor.  Local Republican Assemblymen Jim Patterson and Heath Flora did not cast a vote.