--- title: "California Set to Ban Self-Driving Trucks With No Safety Driver" description: "The California Senate has passed a bill that requires self-driving trucks to have a human operator at all times while on public roads." date: "2023-09-14" modified: "2023-09-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/california-set-to-ban-self-driving-trucks-with-no-safety-driver" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" tags: - "Autonomous vehicles" - "california" - "self-driving trucks" - "the digest" --- # California Set to Ban Self-Driving Trucks With No Safety Driver ![The California Senate has passed a bill that requires self-driving trucks to have a human operator at all times while on public roads.]() *\Image: Daimler\* ## Ban Hammer The California Senate has passed a bill that requires autonomous trucks to have a human safety operator behind the wheel at all times while on public roads. Put simply, it's a ban on driverless trucks — a blow to an industry that has [already struggled]() to establish itself in the US. But the bill's not written in stone yet. While 36 Senate members voted in favor of the bill dubbed AB 316 and only two voted against it, it still has to be signed by governor Gavin Newsom to become law. Given his recent track record, there's a good chance Newsom will veto the bill, as [*TechCrunch* reports](). The expected line of reasoning: banning new technologies could stifle innovation, as Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to Newsom, argued in an [August letter](). Driverless trucking companies have [already faced an uphill battle]() with regulators across the country, considering the technological and logistical challenges involved — but if the industry ever succeeds in really proving itself, it stands to remake the norms of the transportation industry at a basic level. ## No Brainer Meanwhile, labor unions have come out in support of the ban, with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters urging Newsom to sign the bill. In a [statement](), Teamsters general president Sean O'Brien said that Newsom "actually needs to prove that he cares about workers by signing AB 316," arguing that vetoing the bill could put the "livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of truck drivers at risk, while jeopardizing public safety." "California voters, legislators, public safety officials, and workers all support this bill," said Jason Rabinowitz, President of Teamsters Joint Council 7, in the statement. "This should be a no-brainer." Meanwhile, driverless trucking companies [have argued]() that driverless truck technology could save lives, pointing to the [5,788 truck-related deaths]() in the US in 2021, *TechCrunch* reports. While the California DMV still technically doesn't allow permits for AVs that weigh more than 10,000 pounds, the bill is meant to come into effect if such a ban were ever to be lifted. AB 316 will now require the DMV to prove to lawmakers that AV technologies are safe in the trucking sector over the next five years, but according to *TechCrunch*, permits won't be issued until at least 2030. Even the DMV is opposing the bill, though, arguing in a statement to *TechCrunch* that it won't "increase safety and will, in fact, have a chilling effect on the development of technology in California that is intended to result in increased safety benefits on our roadways." **More on self-driving trucks:** *[Self-Driving Truck Completes First Cross-Country Freight Run]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()