California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday vetoed a bill that would have prevented heavy-duty driverless trucks from operating in the state, bringing relief to companies developing self-driving technology to transport goods across the United States. The bill requires self-driving cars weighing more than 10,001 pounds to have a trained human driver present.
"Given that ... the existing regulatory framework already adequately governs this particular technology, this bill is not needed at this time," Newsom said in a veto statement Friday.
The governor's veto can still be overridden if the Legislature chooses to uphold the bill with a two-thirds majority vote in each chamber. However, this situation is very rare and has not happened in California since 1979.
While many states, including Texas and Arkansas, allow the testing and operation of self-driving trucks, California, home to Alphabet, Apple and some of the most cutting-edge tech startups, has legislation banning self-driving trucks weighing more than 10,001 pounds. Industry insiders say the Department of Motor Vehicles has been working to develop a regulatory framework to remove this restriction, which is why the bill was introduced.
Developing self-driving technology has proven more difficult and expensive than expected, leading to layoffs and even company closures. Companies still testing and deploying driverless trucks include Aurora, Daimler Truck, Kodiak Robotics and Gatik.
Supporters of the technology say the bill would hinder opportunities to autonomously transport cargo, such as from Southern California’s bustling seaports to locations across the state, and divert future investments in autonomous infrastructure to other states.
But unions led by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have been calling on Governor Newsom to sign the bill, saying self-driving trucks - some of which weigh more than 80,000 pounds - are considered unsafe and will cost jobs.
In his veto address, Governor Newsom said any regulations enacted by the Department of Motor Vehicles will be transparent and informed by input from stakeholders and experts to ensure safety.
He directed labor and workforce development agencies to develop recommendations to mitigate any potential impact on employment from deploying such vehicles.
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