Although a House hearing on autonomous trucks failed to include a truck driver on the witness panel, several lawmakers noted concerns about the technology and how it could negatively affect the industry.
The House Highway and Transit Subcommittee held a hearing titled “The Future of Automated Commercial Motor Vehicles” on Wednesday, Sept. 13.
Leading up to the hearing, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association wasn’t shy about criticizing the subcommittee’s decision to hold the hearing without a witness representing truckers. Even worse, OOIDA pointed out that a hearing about a technology designed to eventually take drivers off the road was held during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.
OOIDA said its criticism of those decisions remains, but it was pleased that some of the lawmakers responded to an Association letter sent earlier in the week and asked tough questions about safety and potential job displacement.
“I would say the biggest concern that we have – and it held true – was that there was not a representative of the driver community on the witness panel,” said Bryce Mongeon, OOIDA’s director of legislative affairs. “If you’re trying to understand the issue of autonomous vehicles and what’s needed to make trucks safe … we would say that you want to talk to the people who make their living out on the road right now.
“Our other concern was that this would turn into a cheerleading session about the AV technologies and how it’s going to be a great thing … The conversation didn’t quite reach that point. I think the questions and discussion were a little more measured than that. There was at least some skepticism voiced so that it didn’t turn into talking about how great AVs are going to be.”
Safety concerns
Three of the four witnesses were advocates for the technology, but lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle asked questions about whether full deployment of 80,000-pound vehicles without a driver could ever be safe.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., asked Chris Urmson, chief executive officer of the autonomous company Aurora, how the technology would work when faced with difficult decisions.
“Is Aurora able to guarantee that its technology will prioritize the safety of people, not property, not infrastructure, but people when making split-second decisions on the highway?” Holmes Norton asked.
Urmson said that “safety is paramount” but did not directly answer the question.
Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., who has a family background in trucking, outlined concerns about general on-the-road safety as well as cybersecurity.
“I know that we have enemies around this world that can tap into technology and cause major concern if we have a lot of (autonomous trucks) running and up and down our roads,” Bost said.
Witness Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said the technology is not ready and pointed to recent crashes involving autonomous vehicles. Chase also noted examples of San Francisco police and firefighters being prevented from reaching emergencies because of autonomous vehicles obstructing the roads.
“I think we absolutely need prudence when discussing autonomous vehicles of any level,” Chase said. “The biggest example we have so far is San Francisco, and it’s not going so well to say the least. It’s a problem. We can’t just stick our head in the sand and pretend these problems don’t exist.”
Job displacement
American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear told lawmakers that self-driving trucks won’t cost any truckers their jobs because there’s already a driver shortage.
However, OOIDA and other groups have refuted ATA’s claims of a shortage of truck drivers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also denied a shortage in 2019.
OOIDA said the “mythical claims” of a driver shortage shouldn’t be used as justification for placing driverless trucks on the highway.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., also expressed skepticism of the claim that AV technology won’t cost any drivers their jobs.
“In all my years of being in Congress and the state senate, I’ve had a lot of people look me right in the eye and say that something wasn’t going to happen, and it sure did,” Van Drew said. “As the years go by, it’s going to be cheaper for you to do it automated … I feel like we’re losing small businesses at all levels.” LL
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