California legislators are on the brink of passing groundbreaking legislation that would prohibit the use of heavy-duty autonomous vehicles without a human driver in the driver’s seat.

On Monday, the California Senate approved AB 316 with an overwhelming 36-2 vote.

While current California law permits the testing and operation of self-driving vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds without a human driver physically present in the vehicle, AB 316 seeks to change this. It aims to ban the operation of autonomous vehicles with a gross weight of 10,000 pounds or more on public roads for testing, transporting goods, or carrying passengers unless there is a human safety operator inside the autonomous vehicle during operation.

The next step for the bill is to be signed into law or vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom, who is, according to the L.A. Times, expected to veto it.

AB 316 was introduced in the California Legislature on January 23, 2023, by Assembly Member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry.

“I was simply horrified to present my bill in a California Legislative hearing and have to listen to the representative of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association imply that our Nation’s, and our State’s, professional and skilled truckers are dangerous, drunk and texting drivers who pose a deathly risk to the public,” said Aguiar-Curry following the introduction of the bill. “The callous disregard for these stewards of our highways and freeways, motivated by profit, is simply appalling. My motivation, on the other hand, is my commitment to Californians’ safety on the roads, and that safety is best protected by keeping well-trained human beings in the cab of 80,000 pound vehicles traveling at high speeds. When this industry proves to me, my colleagues, and our constituents that human-less trucking, and driverless school buses, are safer than our model in California, they will have the support to proceed.”

The proposed legislation enjoys robust backing from both the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the California Labor Federation. These organizations contend that autonomous vehicle technology poses a significant threat to the livelihoods of numerous workers.

“AB 316 is common sense legislation that, in addition to keeping our roads safe, would protect thousands of good-paying jobs in California. Being a Teamster truck driver, I’m able to provide for my family with my pay and take care of my sick wife thanks to our unmatched health benefits,” said Mike Fry, professional truck driver of 27 years and member of Teamsters Local 2785. “Tech companies say that more autonomous vehicles mean more jobs, but it’s hard to believe that when the industry is leading the way in mass layoffs. We saw what happened in manufacturing, where more jobs were lost to automation than outsourcing. Let me be clear: I’m not against technology, but I am against tech giants putting it before human lives and wellbeing.”