New Bill Could Let Driverless Trucks Skip Drug Tests And Sleep Breaks
The America Drives Act would guide a national framework and remove some human-based regulations
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by Stephen Rivers
Congressman Vince Fong introduced a bill to create a national framework for autonomous trucks.
The proposal aims to resolve legal confusion, address driver shortages, and boost freight efficiency.
Level 4 and 5 AV trucks could operate nationwide without drivers or remote operators onboard.
A new piece of legislation could set the course for how self-driving trucks operate across the United States. Introduced this week in the House of Representatives, the America Drives Act outlines a national framework for autonomous freight transport. The goal is to address what the bill describes as a confusing patchwork of state-level rules that hinder progress. It also cites a shortage of truck drivers as one of the key issues automation could help resolve.
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Unveiled by Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20), the bill would grant the Department of Transportation authority to regulate autonomous trucks and would allow Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous vehicles to operate across state lines without requiring human or remote drivers.
The America Drives Act, short for Autonomous Mobility Ensuring Regulation, Innovation, Commerce, and Advancement Driving Reliability in Vehicle Efficiency and Safety, is pitched as a way to streamline policy and address labor concerns. Fong argues that the United States is falling behind other countries that have already begun integrating autonomous freight.
Inconsistent State Laws Slow Progress
“While Europe and China are rapidly integrating autonomous trucks into their supply chains, America is asleep at the wheel, hamstrung by a confusing patchwork of state regulations that threaten public safety, innovation, and economic growth,” said Fong. As it stands, 35 U.S. states allow some form of AV truck testing or deployment, but inconsistent or contradictory laws have slowed broader implementation.
If passed into law, this legislation would codify a 2018 interpretation that federal safety regulations don’t require a human driver. It would direct the government to update rules for automated driving systems (ADS) by 2027, and strip out requirements written for humans who, well, occasionally need sleep or coffee breaks.
Autonomous trucks wouldn’t be bound by hours-of-service limits, nor would they be subject to drug testing protocols, since silicon brains aren’t known for blowing off steam with a long weekend in Vegas.
The Labor Shortage Debate
The issue is made potentially worse by what the trucking industry says is an ongoing labor shortage. Truckers and trucking companies view the perceived shortage of drivers in a different light. One group says that there is a lack of qualified drivers, and the other says that companies are simply unwilling to pay enough to keep drivers in those same positions.
The reality is that most first-year truck drivers don’t continue in the trade. That kind of turnover is problematic, but autonomous drivers could help solve it. If companies can find a way to get big rigs to safely drive what would be low-paying routes on their own, it could end the ‘shortage.’
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien addressed the topic during a hearing, emphasizing the need for job protection, according to FreightWaves. “I’m all for efficiencies – there are efficiencies built into [the labor agreement with port workers],” he said. “But there are also job protections in that agreement as a result of implementing new technology. So a priority would be that upon implementation, you protect and create new jobs.”
