California Wants to Let Driverless Big Trucks Hit the Roads — Here’s What’s Going On.
- Dario Deserranno
- May 16
- 2 min read
California is getting ready to make a major move that could change the future of trucking: driverless heavy-duty trucks might soon be allowed to roll down public roads. And not everyone is cheering.
Would you trust an 18-wheeler barreling down the highway with no one behind the wheel?
YES SURE
NOT AT ALL
What’s Happening?
On Friday, California’s Department of Motor Vehicles proposed new rules that would allow companies to test self-driving trucks over 4.54 tonnes. That includes vehicles about the size of a beefy Ford Super Duty pickup — and much bigger.
Self-driving heavy trucks are already cruising around states like Texas, Arizona, and Arkansas. But until now, California has been the holdout, with strict rules banning anything heavier than 10,000 pounds (4.54 tonnes) from going autonomous on public roads.
The new proposal could finally open the door — but first, it has to survive a public comment period that runs until June.
The Pushback Is Coming
This move isn’t exactly winning a standing ovation from everyone. Labor unions, especially the Teamsters, are already gearing up for a fight. Their big worry? If trucks start driving themselves, what happens to all the human truck drivers — a massive workforce in California.
In fact, the California legislature passed a bill last year that would have required a human driver to be on board any self-driving big rig. But Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed it, saying current laws were already good enough. That decision didn’t sit well with unions, who had lobbied hard to keep drivers in the cab.
Safety First — Or Is It?
There’s another major concern too: safety.
Heavy-duty trucks and pickups with high front ends have been shown to be more deadly in crashes involving pedestrians. And California hasn’t forgotten what happened when the DMV had to suspend Cruise’s driverless car permit after a pedestrian was badly injured in San Francisco.
The new regulations aim to tighten data reporting, requiring companies to log incidents where vehicles suddenly stop in the middle of a road and need to be rescued. They also give the DMV more power to hand out smaller penalties instead of completely suspending companies' testing permits, like they did with Cruise.
Why This Matters
The battle over driverless trucks isn’t just about new technology. It’s about jobs, safety, and the future of transportation.
Supporters say it’s time to innovate and that the future of logistics depends on it. Opponents argue that rushing into autonomous trucking without stronger safeguards puts lives — and livelihoods — at serious risk. With so much at stake, the debate over California’s self-driving truck future is only just getting started.
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