A California bill aimed at slowing the rollout of large autonomous trucks on the state’s public roads has been shelved for the time being.
Autonomous trucks have been banned from operating on Californian roads since 2015. However, state law allows autonomous vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds to be tested and operated without people in the driving seat. Changes to the ban on autonomous trucks are now being examined.
The Senate Budget Committee this week introduced a bill that would limit the use of autonomous trucks on California roads. Specifically, autonomous vehicles with a gross weight of at least 10,001 pounds without crew would have been banned.
The Department of Transportation would be required to provide a policy report at least five years after the tests. At that point, a regulatory oversight hearing would follow. Assuming legal approval, the Department of Transportation would have to wait another year before issuing a permit.
The committee voted to put the bill on hold. In July, the Senate Transport Committee voted unanimously in favor of the project. The recent reversal is related to Governor Gavin Newsom. He argued that the bill took an inflexible approach to regulating a growing industry. One cannot afford to sleep through this new era.
The critical voices spoke of a preference for the economy over job losses and road safety. Reference is made to the current problems of robot taxis in san francisco. The presence of humans behind the wheel would not limit autonomous driving testing.