California truck drivers ask Gov. Newsom to sign job-saving bill as self-driving big rigs are tested

By SOPHIE AUSTIN
Associated Press/Report for America

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers and union leaders are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a bill that would save jobs as large self-driving trucks are tested on public roads. The legislation would require a human to be present in the trucks during the testing period. Proponents of the bill demonstrated outside of the state Capitol on Tuesday after the legislation’s approval in the Legislature. They say it is needed as a safety measure. But opponents of the proposal say self-driving vehicles that are already on roads in California are rarely at fault in serious accidents. The Newsom administration has said it could push companies that make self-driving vehicles out-of-state.