FILE PHOTO: A Peterbilt 579 truck equipped with Aurora's self-driving system is seen at the company's terminal in PalmerSAN FRANCISCO - California Governor Gavin Newsom late on Friday vetoed a bill to prevent heavy-duty driverless trucks from operating in the state, in a relief for companies developing autonomous technology to haul goods across the U.S.
"Considering... the existing regulatory framework that presently and sufficiently governs this particular technology, this bill is not needed at this time," Newsom said in a veto message on Friday. While many states, including Texas and Arkansas, have allowed the testing and operation of self-driving trucks, California - home to Alphabet, Apple and some of the most cutting-edge tech startups - bars autonomous trucks weighing more than 10,001 pounds.
Developing autonomous technology has proved harder and more expensive than expected, leading to job cuts and even companies shutting shop. Some that are still testing and deploying driverless trucking operations include Aurora, Daimler Truck, Kodiak Robotics and Gatik.