Newsom Vetoes Bill Requiring Human Safety Operators Inside Autonomous Trucks

A quarter-million jobs in the state could be affected by allowing autonomous trucks, according to estimates by the California Labor Federation.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as he attends the Climate Ambition Summit at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on Sept. 20, 2023. The event, held during Climate Week NYC and the UN General Assembly, seeks to gather support for global agreements aimed at phasing out the use of fossil fuels. Kena Betancur/Getty Images

California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have banned self-driving trucks on roads without a human presence, drawing criticism from labor unions concerned about potential job losses.

Assembly Bill 316 prohibits the operation of autonomous vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds on public roads without a human safety operator physically present inside the vehicle. After lawmakers approved the legislation, it went to the Democrat governor to sign it into law. He vetoed the bill on Sept. 22.