Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday blocked a bill that would have banned self-driving trucks without a human inside.
Assembly Bill 316 was promoted by supporters as a way to save jobs by prohibiting self-driving trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds (4,536 kilograms) from operating on public roads unless a person is on board. This includes vehicles such as UPS delivery trucks and larger big rigs.
“Assembly Bill 316 is 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,” a veto message from Newsom read.
The message also argued that the Department of Motor Vehicles already has the authority to regulate the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles on public roads in California.
Republican Assemblymember Tom Lackey, one of the bill’s co-authors, saw the bill as a safer way for companies to test self-driving trucks.
The bill coasted through the Legislature with few lawmakers voting against it. It’s part of ongoing debates about the potential risks of self-driving vehicles and how workforces adapt to a new era as companies deploy technologies to do work traditionally done by humans.
Opponents of the bill said self-driving truck regulations should be left up to the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles and officials with expertise on keeping the roads safe. They argued that self-driving cars that are already on the roads haven’t caused many serious accidents compared to cars driven by people.
The bill would have been in effect until at least 2029 if it passed.
Newsom, who faced some pressure from within his administration not to sign the bill, had until Oct. 14 to sign it into law or block it.
This veto is one of two major actions Newsom took on Friday. His other veto was for a bill that would have required judges to consider a parent’s affirmation of child identity for custody disputes.
