US companies in the industry want to see autonomous trucks driving in California. The pressure on Governor Newsom is increasing.
There are well-known companies like Waymo, aurora, UPS and luminar, which are part of a group of 34 companies aiming to initiate autonomous driving on California’s roads. In addition to automotive and logistics companies, the group also includes California business associations, which have signed an open letter to Governor Gavin Newsom. In it, they are calling for the California Department of Motor Vehicles to reverse the 2015 ban on operating autonomous trucks.
California was the first US state to allow the operation of autonomous vehicles and at the same time to regulate autonomous vehicles. In the meantime you can here without crew test and there are commercial deployments of robotic taxis from Cruise or Waymo in San Francisco. Small commercial vehicles for delivery purposes may also be used. But that doesn’t apply to the big ones trucks weighing more than 10,001 pounds.
In Texas is that different There are flexible laws here that allow autonomous trucks to operate on public roads. Accordingly, companies like Waymo, Aurora, but also Kodiak Robotics or TuSimple engaged in Texas. Other US southern states have also created opportunities for the autonomous trucks: Arizona, NewMexico, Louisiana, Nevada and Colorado.
Against this background, according to the group of 34 companies, California is losing innovative power because the laws are not updated. There are threats of competitive disadvantages, missing out on the 21st century, dwindling investments and the eternal specter of job losses. Silicon Valley would lose its position as the international capital of technical innovation. The industry not only creates jobs, it is also about sales of 6.5 billion US dollars. Also DHL or embark and Einride co-signed this open letter.