Labor group seeks to exclude commercial vehicles from driverless car legislation

According to Larry Willis, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, “The deployment of driverless commercial vehicles raises serious concerns for the millions of Americans who drive vehicles for a living,” including lost jobs and wages.    The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, a coalition of 32 member unions, says that if and when new legislation is crafted regarding driverless cars, commercial vehicles should be exempt.
   TTD President Larry Willis, in response to a Sept. 13 U.S. Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee hearing on driverless commercial motor vehicles, implied that the rise of the technology would cost members of his coalition jobs.
   “The deployment of driverless commercial vehicles raises serious concerns for the millions of Americans who drive vehicles for a living,” Willis said in a statement. “There has been almost no deliberation on the incredible threat this technology poses to jobs and wages. Further discussion is also warranted on the unique safety and security concerns that come with applying this technology to commercial operations.”
   Willis was not of the witnesses called to testify during this week’s Senate committee hearing, but Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall, and American Trucking Associations President-CEO Chris Spear, were among the five who were. Spear testified that it makes sense for commercial vehicles to be regulated alongside passenger cars.
   Spear also said that although some may predict the elimination of commercial driving jobs, that such a future, if it exists, is too far into the future to see.
   Willis, in his statement, said that Congress has a responsibility to millions of Americans who make a living driving commercial vehicles.
   “It is imperative lawmakers work with all stakeholders—including transportation labor—to carefully and thoughtfully address the impact these vehicles will have on jobs, wages, and worker safety,” he said.
   Currently, legislation on the issue has yet to be proposed, and future hearings have yet to be scheduled.
   “We urge the Senate Commerce Committee to exclude commercial motor vehicles from its driverless car bill at this time, and revisit this issue in the future,” Willis said. “The downside of taking more time to ensure this legislation adequately addresses so many serious concerns far outweighs the consequences of moving too hastily and putting millions of jobs and lives at risk.”