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Autonomous trucks are the topic of California bill vetoed by governor

October 3, 2024 2 min read

For the second straight year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill addressing concerns about autonomous trucks.

Sponsored by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, the legislation called for prohibiting autonomous vehicle operation with a gross vehicle weight of at least 10,001 pounds for testing purposes, transporting goods or transporting passengers without a “human safety operator physically present” in the vehicle during operation. The prohibition would be in place until at least 2030.

Aguiar-Curry sponsored both bills to prevent operation of autonomous trucks in the state without a human operator on board. The rule would be in place until a legislative evaluation of autonomous vehicle technology is complete.

The bill sponsor has maintained “There is nothing about a human safety operator that prevents the autonomous trucking industry from testing and deploying autonomous vehicles anywhere in California.”

Assembly lawmakers voted 70-1 to give final legislative approval of this year’s bill. Senators previously approved AB2286 on a 31-3 vote.

Despite the overwhelming statehouse support, Newsom again rejected the pursuit.

Governor highlights regulatory process

A year ago, the legislation was introduced following multiple public workshops by the California Department of Motor Vehicles to consider a new regulatory process to authorize the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles exceeding 10,000 pounds.

At the time, Newsom said he rejected the 2023 legislation because regulation and oversight of the heavy-duty autonomous vehicle technology in the state was “unnecessary.” In his veto message, the governor referred to state law that provides the DMV with authority to regulate the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles on state roadways.

He added that “draft regulations are expected to be released for public comment in the coming months.” Despite that assurance from September 2023, draft heavy-duty autonomous vehicle regulations were not released until this summer.

“A new set of draft regulations, currently open for public input until Oct. 14, offers the nation’s most comprehensive standards for heavy-duty autonomous vehicles,” Newsom wrote in his latest veto message. “These draft regulations propose strict guidelines for heavy-duty AV operations, including limiting operations to roads with speed limits of 50 miles per hour or higher and excluding certain uses, such as transporting passengers or hazardous materials.”

Newsom added that his administration “remains committed to working with the author, sponsors and stakeholders in furthering our efforts to meet the needs of traffic safety, worker protections and jobs as this evolving technology progresses in California.”