Similar to how taxi drivers feel their jobs have been threatened by autonomous taxis, a truckers’ union has been upset after the California Department of Motor Vehicles approved testing of heavy-duty autonomous vehicles, including semi-trucks, on public roads.
The union feels their livelihood will be threatened if freight companies switch to AI-powered autonomous trucks that require no breaks and experience no fatigue when traveling long distances to complete deliveries.
The topic of AI taking away jobs has always been controversial, and companies that automate vehicles often claim that driverless vehicles are safer.
But with driverless trucks now becoming a reality, new technology could be met with significant opposition, since the union is even ready to take the legal route to push it back.
Teamsters California Ready to “Use Every Tool” to Stop Driverless Trucks
According to a report by ABC 7 Eyewitness News, there are many who welcome the rollout of autonomous trucks after the California DMV permitted testing on the state’s roads.
One such person is the owner of Coyote Container at the Port of Oakland, who revealed that autonomous trucks could solve several problems that trucking companies face. He said:
“I believe in technology providing more jobs for all of us, so I think it’s a good thing with trucking. You ask any trucking company what their biggest problem is, it’s usually the drivers. It’s finding drivers, it’s keeping drivers and it’s keeping them safe and keeping them out of accidents. Those things are all, with automated trucks and driverless trucks, are easier to deal with.”
Now, though, Teamsters California, a union that claims to be “the united voice of 250,000 workers across dozens of industries,” has expressed displeasure at the DMV’s approval to test heavy-duty autonomous vehicles, as this technology could allegedly be used to eventually replace them. A statement by the union read:
“Make no mistake: this is just the beginning of Teamsters California’s fight for good jobs and safety on our roads. The DMV’s decision to rush forward with driverless heavy-duty trucks is reckless, and we will use every tool necessary to stop it – including taking this fight to the courts.”
A statement on the union’s website reveals that it is actively pushing back against potential job cuts due to automation. It reads:
“Right now, we’re in the fight of our lives: while Big Tech pushes a future that puts profits over people, eliminates jobs and drives working families out of our communities, Teamsters are standing together to fight for a California that works for all of us.”
Autonomous Truck Company Proves What Driverless Trucks Can Do
While the union protests against the rollout of driverless technology, an L4 autonomous trucking company called Bot Auto has taken a significant step forward by completing its first freight delivery from Houston to Hutchins without a driver on board, without relying on any human input, and even without an in-cab observer.
Guessing Headlights reported how Bot Auto completed the 230-mile trip from Riggy’s Truck Parking in northeast Houston to Safe Stop in Hutchins, a trip booked by its broker partner, Ryan Transportation, to support a shipper with tight delivery deadlines.
The same trip with a driver behind the wheel could have reportedly caused fatigue or working hour limitations. However, such problems do not come in the way of autonomous trucks, which can deliver commercial loads without missing delivery windows.
Bot Auto confirmed that the trip was not a demonstration exercise, but an actual commercial delivery “executed on a customer’s timeline, for a customer’s freight, to a customer’s dock, through an operating model that does not depend on hidden human layers or special-purpose infrastructure.”
The company revealed that its autonomous truck technology is a result of “rigorous engineering” and “extensive real-world testing” that aims to “focus on lowering cost per mile, the system completed the run exactly as designed: safely, on time, and without compromise.”
While driverless technology is slated to grow like never before, a balance with traditional trucking could be seen as the way forward.