- Heavy-duty self-driving trucks in California threaten thousands of jobs.
- The DMV is accused of bypassing regulations to fast-track the approvals.
- It’s also alleged the DMV didn’t assess how regular motorists could be impacted.
Teamsters California, the state affiliate of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has taken issue with the Department of Motor Vehicles and its regulations for approving the testing and use of heavy-duty autonomous vehicles across the state.
In a lawsuit filed in California earlier this month, Peter Finn, vice president at large of Teamsters California, argued the DMV skirted laws requiring it to evaluate and publicly disclose the economic fallout of putting self-driving heavy trucks on roads nationwide. Any such decision, he insists, “must involve public input and transparency.”
Read: California Closed The Loophole That Made Robotaxis Immune To Traffic Tickets
New regulations adopted by the DMV on April 28 removed a ban on the use of autonomous vehicles weighing 10,001 pounds or more. The hope is that this will allow California to become a national leader in these technologies, but Teamsters contends that having self-driving heavy trucks on the roads is “an existential threat to the livelihoods of Teamsters members,” particularly those involved in food delivery and other essentials, TTNews reports.
The suit claims the DMV sidestepped a required Standardized Regulatory Impact Assessment, which kicks in for any regulation carrying an economic hit above $50 million in its first year.
200,000 Jobs on the Line
“The deployment of self-driving trucks, authorized by the regulatory changes, has the potential to eventually wipe out the jobs of more than 200,000 employee semi-truck drivers working across California. A similarly large number of self-employed drivers operating commercial vehicles weighing between 10,001 pounds and 25,999 pounds could also be impacted,” the lawsuit claims.
The union also alleges the DMV never weighed how the safety of other motorists would suffer once they’re forced to share the road with self-driving trucks “that are still being tested and have not been validated.”
Teamsters California represents approximately 250,000 workers throughout the state, and while self-driving trucks may benefit those large companies that deploy them, autonomous vehicles obviously threaten many jobs. It’ll be interesting to see how things play out.
