The International Brotherhood of Teamsters may be taking a victory lap after the California Assembly Transportation Committee pushed through a pair of the union’s bills. However, states such as Kentucky and Texas are backing driverless big rigs.
Autonomous delivery vehicles are being tested on Texas highways and the U.S. Department of Transportation recently approved a $2 million grant, so Fort Worth could test weather sensors to support driverless commercial motor vehicle safety. The effort is part of a Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation initiative designed to support and grow the number of driverless semi-trucks operating on Lone Star State roads.
“Weather phenomena like severe rainfall and dense fog can degrade the accuracy of critical vehicle sensors, potentially leading to inaccuracies affecting vehicle performance during hazardous road weather conditions,” a release by Fort Worth officials states.
The sensors are expected to provide driverless truck systems with real-time data regarding weather conditions. In 2021, the city suffered a 133-vehicle crash that took the lives of six people. There were “many” fully loaded 18-wheelers involved in the disaster. Officials noted the loss of life could have been avoided if adequate weather sensors were in place at the time.
Kentucky lawmakers recently overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of House Bill 7. The broadly written measure reportedly opens the door to autonomous semi trucks joining passenger vehicles on interstates and highways.
Gov. Beshear went on the record indicating he vetoed the bill because it failed to “fully address questions about the safety and security of autonomous vehicles, nor does it implement a testing period that would require a licensed human driver to be behind the wheel.”
The Teamsters union is making the transition to autonomous big rigs an uphill fight in California. After successfully backing the AB5 law that eliminated independent trucking in favor of payroll jobs, the country’s largest private-sector union is trying to save CDL positions. After a headline-grabbing Robotaxi incident, California lawmakers have put forward measures to tap the brakes on driverless vehicles that were vetoed. The Teamsters-backed AB 2286 and AB 3061 require all autonomous vehicles to have a human presence.
“Californians, and the people we elect to public office, have been sounding the alarm for over a year about the dangers of autonomous trucks and cars. It’s past time we get a say on how this unproven technology will impact our lives and our jobs,” Teamster official Lindsay Dougherty reportedly said.
Source:
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article287761085.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/31/autonomous-semi-truck-jobs-regulation/
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