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Commercial Motor Vehicles Should be Exempt from Senate’s Driverless Car Legislation

Washington, DC — Larry I. Willis, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issues this statement in response to the Senate Commerce Committee’s hearing on driverless commercial motor vehicles:

“The deployment of driverless commercial vehicles raises serious concerns for the millions of Americans who drive vehicles for a living. While we appreciate the Committee providing an open forum today on this matter, there has been almost no deliberation on the incredible threat this technology poses to jobs and wages. Further discussion is also warranted on the unique safety and security concerns that come with applying this technology to commercial operations.

“Congress has a responsibility to millions of Americans who make a living driving commercial vehicles. It is imperative lawmakers work with all stakeholders — including transportation labor — to carefully and thoughtfully address the impact these vehicles will have on jobs, wages, and worker safety.

“We urge the Senate Commerce Committee to exclude commercial motor vehicles from its driverless car bill at this time, and revisit this issue in the future. The downside of taking more time to ensure this legislation adequately addresses so many serious concerns far outweighs the consequences of moving too hastily and putting millions of jobs and lives at risk.”