New York State Senator Pete Harckham and leaders from Teamsters Local 456 announced new legislation that will require drivers to accompany trucks with autonomous operating technology traveling on roadways in New York. Joining Harckham and Louis A. Picani, president and principal officer of Teamsters Local 456, for the announcement were and a number of other Teamsters officials, as well as Rachel Estroff, chief-of-staff for State Sen. Shelley B. Mayer, a co-sponsor of the new autonomous operating bill (S.7758).
“The integral role of the trucking industry in our lives means we have to be proactive and vigilant about public safety and job security when it comes to technological innovations like autonomous operating vehicles,” said Harckham. “My bill simply requires autonomous vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or more to have a licensed driver behind the wheel. This common-sense measure will ensure greater protection for residents and property while providing job security for over 270,000 New Yorkers.”
Right now, the vehicle and traffic law of New York State have no requirements for the heaviest vehicles, such as semi-trucks, to have a human being in the cab capable of taking control of the vehicle in case of emergency. While there may be economic benefits to “driverless trucks,” the concerns about so-called “robot rigs” are many. Passenger vehicles from a variety of manufacturers utilizing driver-assist or full self-driving systems have been involved in hundreds of traffic accidents, some fatal. The potential for injury and death grows exponentially in such instances when the vehicle has the enormously greater mass, inertia and force of a commercial semi-trailer truck compared to a passenger vehicle.
Added Harckham, “Most people will agree that until this new technology is entirely ‘road-tested’ and glitch-free, we need drivers behind the wheel of autonomous operating trucks here in New York.” The trucking industry in New York is responsible for 270,000 jobs—one out of every 27 jobs in the state—and produces wages over $16 billion annually, much of it spent right here in New York. In total, there are about 58,300 heavy and tractor-trailer drivers working now who are state residents.