California bill would require human operators in autonomous delivery vehicles

Sacramento, CA — Legislation that would require autonomous delivery vehicles traveling on California state highways to have a trained human operator on board is on the move in the State Assembly.

Lawmakers referred A.B. 33 to the Assembly Transportation Committee on March 5, after Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) introduced it Dec. 2.

The measure would apply to autonomous vehicles involved in “the delivery of commercial goods directly to a residence or to a business for its use or retail sale.” It wouldn’t apply to the delivery of food “intended for immediate consumption.”

The bill states that using AVs for commercial purposes “poses potential risks to road safety, especially given the technology’s reliance on complex algorithms that can be prone to unforeseen errors and failures.”

The Teamsters Union issued a press release citing a January poll conducted by Tulchin Research that shows 79% of Californians support requiring human safety operators in self-driving delivery vehicles.

“The regulation of driverless vehicles has overwhelming bipartisan support for a reason,” Teamsters International Vice President At-Large Chris Griswold said in the release. “AVs are dangerous and a threat to hundreds of thousands of California workers.”

Violators would be subject to a civil fine of up to $25,000.