This is the monthly edition of the Transport Workers Union’s Transportation Technology Newsletter. We aim to inform and educate our members, the labor movement, the public and policymakers about developments in transportation technology – and what the TWU is doing to ensure that new technology doesn’t undermine safety or harm the livelihoods of hard-working blue-collar workers. For suggestions and questions, please email ewytkind@gmail.com or adaugherty@twu.org.
ITEM OF THE MONTH
TRUCKING IN TEXAS: The autonomous trucking company Aurora began operations without a human in the cab and in Texas says it plans to expand rapidly in the coming months. But just weeks later, Aurora announced it will put a human back into the driver’s seat after the truck manufacturer Paccar requested it. And the TWU’s years of advocacy on safety issues could prove to be a major roadblock for the rapid expansion of driverless trucks.
In January, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration sided with the TWU over Aurora and other autonomous trucking companies who unsuccessfully argued that cab-mounted beacons were a subtable replacement for safety triangles that must be displayed when a large truck is broken down on the side of the road. For now, Aurora says it is complying with the safety rules because it is only operating a single driverless truck between Dallas and Houston. An Aurora spokesperson told TechCrunch that “a vehicle with operators won’t be far away” when asked how the company plans to deal with a broken down autonomous vehicle.
Paccar and Aurora haven’t said why a human was put back into the front seat as a safety observer, though an Aurora spokesperson told Trucking Dive the move was “because of certain prototype parts in [Paccar’s] base vehicle platform.” But putting a human in the cab runs counter to Aurora’s stated goal of rapidly expanding autonomous operations across states within months.
“The FMCSA ruling is having its intended effect – forcing Big Tech to literally pump the brakes by applying the same safety rules for autonomous trucks that everyone else must comply with,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. “We will be keeping a close watch on how these autonomous trucking companies can complete their grand expansion plans while still following safety rules. History tells us we can expect them to cut corners.”
For example, the rapid expansion of autonomous vehicles in San Francisco came at a cost for Cruise, the now-shuttered autonomous vehicle project from General Motors. After a pedestrian was seriously hurt in a 2023 crash, Cruise attempted to cover up the facts in a failed attempt to downplay safety concerns for the public. The FMCSA ruling is a critical component for holding autonomous trucking companies accountable and ensuring safe operations.
AV TRUCKS COMING TO CALIFORNIA?: While Texas’ lack of state-level regulations (and weather) are prompting many AV trucking companies to start operations in that state, Reuters reports that California is attempting to allow heavy-duty autonomous truck testing in the coming months. Currently, California is the only state with regulations that explicitly ban the testing of large trucks on public roads.
“Human operators, whether they are driving a truck, bus, or train are essential,” TWU Administrative Vice President Curtis Tate said. “This move from California flies in the face of advocacy from TWU and other unions to keep public roads free from large driverless trucks.”
WHAT ELSE IS COOKING
MARKET GIVEAWAY: The city of San Francisco has conceded access to a transit-only corridor, Market Street, to robotaxi operator Waymo and others at a time when Waymo has just recalled 1,200 cars for a rash of crashes with gates, chains and other “gate-like” objects.
The city claims this move will boost “access” and mobility as Waymo successfully secured a greenlight to map this corridor and expand its driverless services on streets dedicated to transit. Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana declared in the San Francisco Mayor’s press release: “We’re honored that Mayor Lurie has invited us to serve as a mobility option on San Francisco’s historic Market Street.”
“This feels like yet another sop to Big Tech,” Tate said. “They should be investing more resources in transit systems like Muni Metro, not giving special treatment to robotaxis especially as we watch another recall of unsafe driverless technologies that have been a menace on so many roads.”
UH, THIS IS A BUS: TechCrunch reports that Uber is introducing “cheap, fixed-route rides along busy corridors during weekday commute hours in major U.S. cities” a Big Tech “solution” that sounds awfully similar to current bus operations. Uber announced that its “Route Share” service has started in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Uber said the fares will be 50% cheaper than the price of an UberX trip, in other words far more expensive than the average bus fare.
“This is yet another way Big Tech will try and fail to match the service and cost of transit,” Tate said.
WAYWARD WAYMO: The Houston Chronicle reports that a group of Waymo passengers were trapped inside a locked car that decided to stay parked under an overpass instead of heading to its intended destination. The Chronicle reports that the group called customer support for help and instead were stranded on a highway for five minutes with traffic honking the entire time. Only when a passenger threatened to go live on TikTok to document the experience did a Waymo representative unlock the car and allow the group to walk away.
AI WATCH: House Republicans have proposed a sweeping artificial intelligence law that would roll back state-level AI laws throughout the country and prohibit states from passing new ones for a decade, the Washington Post reports. While the effects of nationwide AI preemption would touch nearly every industry, it would also significantly curtail the ability of states to regulate the expansion of driverless cars on their roads. The TWU will be watching closely as Congress continues crafting a reconciliation package in the coming weeks.
NEW DOT FRAMEWORK: In the wake of the elimination of a team in the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) that provides safety oversight of autonomous vehicles, the Trump Administration’s Department of Transportation declared that it will make “America a more welcoming environment for the next generation of automotive technology” by easing exemption rules that permit “non-compliant” vehicles on American roads and rolling back certain crash reporting requirements.
“The TWU will continue to push for the toughest safety standards possible before we unleash driverless vehicles on our roads,” Samuelsen said. “Under no circumstances should the federal government permit autonomous buses and vans in our public transportation systems without a human operator in command.”
WHAT WE’RE READING:
DoorDash robot food deliveries? Supermarket News.
Tesla’s Robotaxi Plans Under Federal Scrutiny Ahead Of Austin Launch As Elon Musk Vows Nationwide Rollout By Year-End. Yahoo Finance.
Uber Expanding to Driverless Vans Car and Driver.