California Passes Similar AV Legislation Vetoed Last Year

Bill Would Require Driver in Cab During Autonomous Testing

Senior Reporter

A safety driver observes from the driver's seat of an autonomous truck during a demonstration on roads in San Francisco. (Tony Avelar/Associated Press)

September 5, 2024 4:10 PM, EDT

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For the second year in a row, California lawmakers have forwarded legislation to Gov. Gavin Newsom that would require drivers to be in the cab during the testing of autonomous heavy trucks on the state’s public roads.

Supporters of the legislation — which was overwhelmingly approved by the California State Assembly last month — include the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which said it supported human operators in the cab during autonomous testing as well as establishment of stronger reporting and collection measures for roadway violations and other accidents involving autonomous trucks.

Lawmakers in the Assembly voted 70-1 in favor of the measure, following approval earlier this year by the State Senate.

Similar legislation was vetoed by last year by Newsom as being “unnecessary for the regulation and oversight of heavy-duty autonomous vehicle technology in California, as existing law provides sufficient authority to create the appropriate regulatory framework.” The deadline for Newsom to sign or veto the new AV bill was set for Sept. 30.

The legislation would require the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to, starting with model year 2031 trucks, submit a report to the legislature evaluating the performance of AV technology and its impact on public safety and employment in the transportation sector.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed similar legislation last year, saying "existing law provides sufficient authority to create the appropriate regulatory framework.” (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)

For its part, the California DMV has already advanced proposed draft regulations that would allow fully autonomous heavy-duty vehicles on public roads.

The legislation also includes a requirement for a report of disengagements, crashes and other information DMV believes is relevant, and the report must include a recommendation on whether the legislature should remove, modify or maintain the requirement for an AV to operate with a human safety operator physically present at the wheel.

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In recent testimony before Congress, American Trucking Associations President argued that autonomous trucks will not displace drivers. When Newsom vetoed the bill last year, Spear called the veto “an encouraging indication that the governor is actually willing to consider all sides and allow common sense to prevail.”

The new legislation is also opposed by the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association. “AB 2286 takes California backward when it needs to move forward,” AVIA CEO Jeff Farrah said. “AVIA stands with over 50 organizations, including California disability advocates, community groups and companies in stark opposition to AB 2286, a bill to ban autonomous trucks.”

Farrah said the legislation would “undermine California’s regulatory process by thwarting safety regulators at the California DMV and the California Highway Patrol, and bar Californians from accessing the supply chain and safety benefits autonomous trucks will deliver. It’s time to take the politics out of AV safety.”

“I’m proud to have passed the first hurdle in this year’s process with another resounding bipartisan vote,” said Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, the main sponsor of the bill. “The legislature must maintain its role in protecting the safety of and employment of tens of millions of Californians.” Aguiar-Curry called professional truck drivers “stewards of our highways, not entries on a balance sheet.”

“We applaud the California Assembly for their overwhelming support for [this bill] and prioritizing the well-being of California drivers,” said Chris Griswold, Teamsters vice president at-large.

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