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Teamsters California sues DMV over autonomous truck rules
Lawsuit claims new regulations threaten 200,000 employee trucking jobs
Teamsters California contends the DMV circumvented laws regarding public information about self-driving heavy trucks on state roadways. (Torc Robotics)
Key Takeaways:
- Teamsters California filed an Aug. 5 lawsuit seeking to overturn DMV regulations allowing heavy-duty autonomous vehicle testing and deployment.
- The union argues the DMV failed to properly assess and disclose the regulations' economic impacts before adoption.
- California officials said the revised rules would advance autonomous vehicle development while enhancing safety and transparency.
Teamsters California is suing the state Department of Motor Vehicles to stop its amended regulations allowing permits to test and use heavy-duty autonomous vehicles.
The union group filed a 34-page lawsuit Aug. 5 asking the state Superior Court in Alameda County to set aside the changed regulations, declare the rules lack clarity and generally stop enforcement.
“Every day brings new evidence that Waymo robotaxis are putting public safety at risk, and those dangers scale up exponentially with trucks that are up to 16 times heavier and moving at highway speeds,” said Peter Finn, vice president at large of Teamsters California, which represents 250,000 union workers.
The Teamsters contend the DMV circumvented laws requiring it to evaluate and release public information about the economic impact of allowing self-driving heavy trucks on state roadways.
“Such a critical decision with life-and-death consequences must involve public input and transparency — that is why Teamsters California is taking the DMV to court and demanding California follow the law and thoroughly study the consequences of allowing 80,000-pound driverless vehicles on our roads before actually permitting them,” Finn added.
Today, Teamsters California, sued the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) saying the agency circumvented laws requiring the agency to study and publicly disclose the economic impacts of allowing self-driving trucks on California roads. pic.twitter.com/4rCLvl0mDW — Teamsters California (@TeamstersCA) August 6, 2026
On April 28, the DMV adopted new regulations to greenlight AV freight operations in California by removing a ban on the use of AVs with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more.
At that time, DMV Director Steve Gordon predicted the revamped regulations would place California as a national leader in adopting AV technology while “enhancing public safety and transparency” by adding more manufacturer accountability.
The union group announced its lawsuit while describing self-driving heavy trucks as “an existential threat to the livelihoods of Teamsters members in California who deliver food and other essentials and are a crucial economic engine for the state.”
Autonomous truck developers, on the other hand, generally position driverless trucks as a complement to the trucking industry’s workforce, not a replacement. Developers have long touted the technology’s potential to improve highway safety, prevent crashes and boost freight efficiency.
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Gordon
The lawsuit is challenging the DMV, the state Office of Administrative Law, the California State Transportation Agency and seven state officials in their official capacities.
“The deployment of self-driving trucks, authorized by the regulatory changes, has the potential to eventually wipe out the jobs of more than 200,000 employee semi-truck drivers working across California. A similarly large number of self-employed drivers operating commercial vehicles weighing between 10,001 pounds and 25,999 pounds could also be impacted,” the lawsuit contends. The Teamsters faulted the DMV for apparently bypassing the need for a Standardized Regulatory Impact Assessment, which is required for passing a regulation resulting in an economic cost/benefit exceeding $50 million in the first year after implementation.
The group declared that such testing and deploying AV heavy trucks will bring a heavy financial impact on existing commercial truck drivers.
“This is particularly true because California — which handles 40% of the nation’s containerized imports and 30% of all U.S. exports — is an essential market for self-driving-truck companies that wish to quickly establish a strong market share, and these companies have long had California’s $2.8 trillion trucking corridor in their sights as a crucial component of their autonomous trucking networks,” the lawsuit stated.
It accused the DMV of ignoring the costs of displaced truck drivers as well as potential financial harm to supporting industries that service and support truck drivers such as commercial driving schools, hotels, restaurants and truck stops.
