Autonomous Trucks
AdvertisementCalifornia first allowed piloted smaller autonomous trucks (up to 10,001 pounds) on state roads in 2014, then in 2018 allowed such testing without a driver in control. Of course, truck drivers are not likely to have trouble getting rehired if they lose out to autonomous technology, at least in the short term. Last June, a group that included Waymo, Aurora, TuSimple, Einride, Uber Freight and UPS wrote to California Governor Gavin Newsom to allow larger AV trucks on state roads. “At this point, we would recommend a trained safety driver in every autonomous vehicle on the road,” he told U.S. News. AV advocates would like to get municipalities out of the equation, with only states and the federal government regulating their autonomous vehicles.