Sacramento, CA — For the second time, laws that might prohibit autonomous trucks weighing 10,000 kilos or extra from working on California roadways awaits the signature of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
Introduced within the California Assembly in February, A.B. 2286 would additionally require autonomous truck producers to report back to the California Department of Motor Vehicles – inside 10 days – any collision “originating from the operation of the autonomous vehicle on a public road that resulted in the damage of property, bodily injury or death.”
The state Senate handed the bill with a 70-1 vote on Aug. 29, a day earlier than the state Assembly did so with a 32-3 vote.
Newsom vetoed an identical bill final yr, writing that it was “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 Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association is hoping for a similar outcome, with AVIA Executive Director Jeff Farrah asserting in a press launch that A.B. 2286 “would undermine California’s regulatory process by thwarting safety regulators at the California DMV and the California Highway Patrol.”
On the flip facet, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters backs the bill.
“Our elected leaders in California have once again spoken up in favor of AV regulation,” Teamsters International Vice President At-Large Chris Griswold stated in a separate launch. “It’s time Gov. Newsom does the same.”
