Members of Teamsters Locals 570, 639, and 922 testified before the Maryland House of Delegates to call for the passage of House Bill 1447 (HB 1447), legislation that would require a human operator in large commercial vehicles. Similar legislation has been introduced in California, Iowa, Indiana, and New York this year.
Beyond the safety aspect, the legislation would protect middle-class jobs, according to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
“HB 1447 is critical to protecting our streets,” said Rudy Gardner, president of Teamsters Joint Council 55. “In other states, driverless vehicles have obstructed first responders, caused traffic jams, collided with people, and even killed animals. Autonomous vehicle companies are not transparent about their safety records, which is the bare minimum of what they should be doing if they want to operate on public roads. It is imperative that our state delegates pass this bill into law.”
“Autonomous vehicles pose a grave threat to hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs in Maryland,” said Sean Cedenio, president of Teamsters Joint Council 62. “One in 14 jobs statewide are in trucking, with countless more in the postal service, transit and other sectors. Workers are the backbone of our supply chain. They pay taxes, patronize small businesses, and support local charities and civic organizations across the state. By passing HB 1447, we can protect Maryland’s families, communities and economy.”
“Professional drivers like me have been watching the rollout of autonomous vehicles in other states, and what we have seen so far is disturbing,” said Lawrence White, a 25-year driver at Ruan Transportation and a member of Teamsters Local 639. “The reality of these vehicles is alarming; they cannot make critical decisions in life-or-death situations or assist others following accidents. We need to pass HB 1447 because if these vehicles are jammed on our roadways without human operators, the results will be catastrophic.”
