SACRAMENTO, California — For years, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has swatted down union-backed efforts to shield trucking jobs from automation. Now, politically powerful union leaders are pushing his would-be successors to change course, a move that could pump the brakes in California on an industry that’s starting to accelerate elsewhere.
The pressure on Democratic candidates competing for labor’s support in the crowded June primary comes as the Newsom administration plans to finalize new rules as soon as next month to allow the testing of autonomous big rigs on state roads.
The march toward driverless freight is emerging as a political litmus test here, with several Democrats surveyed by POLITICO signaling they would slow or rein in autonomous trucking — drawing a stark contrast with Newsom and aligning themselves with union demands.
“There are safety issues. There are employment issues. I think that we’re going to have to,” billionaire Tom Steyer said when asked if he would back a mandate requiring human safety drivers in autonomous delivery vehicles. “We should be making sure that we don’t make dramatic changes in the way that people work.”
