California Driverless Truck Regulations Face Union Resistance

High-tech autonomous vehicle companies and the nation’s oldest union for professional drivers will clash in California this year as the state considers lifting a prohibition on testing heavy-duty driverless trucks.

The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles is preparing draft regulations on driverless long-haul trucks, box trucks, and other large, heavy vehicles. A 2012 California law mandated that the agency start regulating the testing and use of autonomous vehicles on public roadways. Companies in the state have been at the forefront of promoting such technology that would radically revamp vehicle transportation in the US.

California lawmakers, backed by the state’s Teamsters ...