Last summer, a legislative battle broke out in California over the issue of a new generation of self-driving vehicles, specifically trucks capable of carrying freight. The legislature passed a bill that would require such vehicles to have a human “safety operator” in the cab while it was in operation, along with other restrictions. Governor Gavin Newsom disagreed and vetoed the bill, leading to breathless headlines such as “Gavin Newsom sides with the robots in autonomous vehicle debate.” Newsom may have won in the first round, but the opponents of autonomous delivery trucks are back and their backers in the legislature have introduced a new version of the same bill. But this legislation isn’t being pushed by safety advocates worried about potential shortcomings in the technology. It’s being driven by the labor unions. You can probably guess why already. (California Globe)
A bill…
