Autonomous trucking has been a consistent topic in trucking. Clean Tech Nica reported that although California is a driving leader for autonomous cars, it has been more difficult for autonomous trucking. Waymo is testing their autonomous semi-truck in Texas and not California because of these blockages.
Thirty-four companies have sent an open letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom asking him to relieve some of the regulations in place. The letter expressed how leaders in the industry feel saying, “As CEOs, co-founders, leaders, and allied organizations of the autonomous trucking industry ecosystem, we are working each day to be uniquely Californian—harness innovation to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges, including road safety and the supply chain crisis. Many of us are proud to be building autonomous trucking technology in the Golden State or have communities or operations that seek to leverage autonomous trucking to better serve California. Yet currently, we are unable to bring the benefits of autonomous trucks to the state.” Trucking leaders are frustrated that the California Department of Motor Vehicles is explicitly prohibiting the operation of autonomous trucks. Companies and different parties in the industry are committed to addressing the issues within autonomous trucking but the state is not as cooperative. Click here to hear how different companies feel about the constant obstacles in autonomous trucking.
