The California Teamsters union is suing the state over self-driving trucks

The California Teamsters union is suing several state agencies, including the DMV, over rules pertaining to self-driving trucks, according to a report by Politico. The suit claims that Governor Gavin Newsom's administration improperly rolled out a series of regulations that will likely bring robot trucks to state roads.

This stems from a move the DMV made back in April, in which new rules were adopted regarding autonomous trucks. California had previously prohibited large self-driving vehicles. This was due, in large part, to objections from unions regarding potential job loss. The new regulations create an autonomous vehicle testing framework for light-duty and heavy-duty trucks that could, eventually, flood the roads with self-driving semis and the like.

The lawsuit argues that these new rules pose "an existential threat" to hundreds of thousands of workers. The Teamsters are asking the court to prevent the DMV from enforcing the regulations and to declare that they were erroneously implemented.

The suit also suggests that the DMV didn't perform a required economic study on the potential effects of the regulations. California Teamsters are even accusing the agency of using an abbreviated rulemaking process to jump some hurdles.

"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," said Julie Gutman Dickinson, an attorney representing the Teamsters. "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."

As for job loss, the lawsuit suggests these rules could "eventually wipe out the jobs of more than 200,000 employee semi-truck drivers working across California." This would also potentially impact a similar number of self-employed drivers, totaling 400,000 or more jobs. California actually leads the nation in employed truck drivers.

On the other hand, the US AV trucking market is expected to reach $18 billion by 2030, according to several estimates. The suit suggests the industry is poised to meet this threshold "with the California jewel in its sight."

The lawsuit also names the state transportation and finance agencies as respondents, in addition to the administrative law office. The DMV, Department of Finance and Governor Newsom's office have all declined to comment as of this writing.

Newsom has long been a friend to the autonomous vehicle industry in California. He vetoed labor-backed legislation on two separate occasions that sought to set limits on autonomous technology in heavy trucks and delivery vehicles. Organized labor in the state is hopeful that the state's next likely governor, Democrat Xavier Becerra, will be more receptive to their concerns regarding the self-driving truck industry.

Becerra, after all, did come out in support of human truck drivers, though only after receiving pressure from organized labor. If the Teamsters are able to delay the rollout of autonomous trucks until a new governor takes office next year, it's possible the regulations could be dropped altogether.