Unions seek to require drivers for perfectly safe driverless trucks

“Autonomous vehicles are already making it easier for Americans move around and transport goods safely and efficiently—after all, driverless vehicles don’t get drowsy at 2 a.m. or miss braking cues because they’re distracted. But, as the Goldwater Institute’s Brian Norman warns, a coordinated labor union campaign threatens to slow the implementation of this innovative technology and deny Americans its many benefits. Writing in the Washington Examiner, Norman exposes the Teamsters’ campaign to pass bills from coast to coast requiring union drivers to remain behind the wheel of autonomous trucks. Supporters say these ‘driver-in’ mandates are safety measures, but the unions’ deeper purpose is often explicit: to protect union jobs from technological change.”

“Early reports show that driverless vehicles are typically safer than human-driven vehicles. Simply put, autonomous vehicles should be judged by their safety and performance, not by whether they preserve old labor arrangements.”

“‘The future of freight should be faster, safer, and less expensive,’ Norman writes. ‘Policymakers should let it arrive.'”

Self-driving trucks are already being used safely to supply oil and gas wells in Texas.

Self-driving cars are generally safer than human-driven cars. “Driverless Waymo vehicles have driven 170 million miles through December 2025 without a human driver in the car. Compared to the average human driver over the same distance, Waymo driverless cars experienced 83% fewer airbag deployment crashes, 82% fewer injury-causing crashes, and 92% fewer serious injury or worse crashes.”

Amazon is planning to produce up to 10,000 robotaxis per year in a California plant.

Waymo self-driving taxis now transport thousands of passengers every day in American cities.