The California Teamsters union has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Motor Vehicles and other state agencies, alleging that the improper rollout of regulations for autonomous trucks poses an "existential threat" to approximately 200,000 workers.
The lawsuit contends that the DMV unlawfully adopted new rules permitting large self-driving vehicles on state roads without a required economic impact study and by underestimating the potential job displacement. The union claims the DMV stated no jobs would be lost, while the Teamsters estimate over 200,000 positions could be affected.
California had previously prohibited large autonomous vehicles due to concerns from labor groups about job losses for human drivers. The Teamsters, representing transportation workers, view the new regulations as a direct threat to their members' livelihoods.
"The DMV irresponsibly, carelessly, and unlawfully kept the public in the dark about the true economic and human costs of the amended Autonomous Vehicle regulations," Julie Gutman Dickinson, an attorney for the Teamsters, told Politico. "The only way to protect the public’s right to properly scrutinize regulations that will transform transportation in California is for the Court to order the DMV to immediately rescind the illegally enacted regulations."
This legal challenge comes after Governor Gavin Newsom twice vetoed legislation supported by labor unions that sought to restrict self-driving trucks. In his most recent veto statement in 2024, Newsom expressed confidence that DMV regulations would balance worker protections with technological innovation. However, unions criticized his vetoes, with the California Labor Federation stating in 2023 that they would "continue to fight to make sure that robots do not replace human drivers and that technology is not used to destroy good jobs."
The lawsuit also highlights broader concerns about the performance of autonomous vehicles. In recent months, self-driving cars have been involved in traffic issues, including Waymo vehicles causing congestion in San Francisco and one incident where two Waymo cars reportedly trapped a driver for an hour, requiring police intervention.