The Robotruck Industry Is Lobbying Against Road Safety
On Friday, California governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have banned self-driving trucks from being on the road without a safety operator aboard. This move followed a six-figure lobbying effort from the autonomous vehicle industry.
Robotic truck company Aurora shows off a self-driving truck at the CES tech show in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 6, 2022. (Andrej Sokolow / picture alliance via Getty Images)
After autonomous vehicle interests spent at least a quarter of a million dollars on lobbying and treated two senior gubernatorial aides to a bougie dinner, California Democratic governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Friday night that would have banned self-driving trucks from operating in the state without a safety operator aboard.
The veto delivered a massive win to Big Tech and a major blow to labor unions and road safety advocates, since backers of the bill say the rapid rise of driverless trucks may jeopardize trucking jobs and make public roadways more dangerous.
Newsom’s veto is the latest successful lobbying effort for the growing autonomous vehicle industry in the influential, Democratic-led state.
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