AI is coming for one of the most important industries in the US: truck drivers.
A new bill recently introduced in the House would establish rules for workers in the new industry, creating the first federal framework for autonomous commercial trucks, including provisions on remote workers and workforce training grants.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 22 approved the BUILD America 250 Act, a sweeping five-year transportation bill, that would direct the Department of Transportation to establish safety standards for self-driving trucks.
The committee said the piece of legislation represents the “first ever autonomous commercial motor vehicle framework.” The bill cleared the committee by a 62-2 vote, making it eligible for consideration by the full House.
Among the proposed rules for AVs, the bill would require manufacturers to certify that their vehicles meet federal safety standards before operating across state lines.
The legislation also covers the grounds for remote drivers. The bill states that remote workers must be physically located in the US — a provision that comes as lawmakers have raised questions about where autonomous vehicle companies like Waymo base their remote operations.
During a Senate hearing in February, Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts grilled Waymo over its use of remote assistance workers in countries outside the US, including the Philippines, calling it “completely unacceptable.”
The bill text would direct the transportation secretary to require “all remote assistants, driverless operations dispatchers, and remote drivers to be physically located within the United States or any territory of the United States.”
The bill would also authorize $27.5 million for fiscal year 2027 to establish a workforce development grant program aimed at helping human truck drivers adapt to the rise of autonomous technologies.
Eligible programs would include those that train workers with commercial driver’s licenses to operate and maintain trucks with automated driving systems, as well as apprenticeships or internships that train people to become vehicle maintenance technicians.
Autonomous trucking executives praised the bill as a sign that US lawmakers are making progress toward a national framework for the industry.
“The inclusion of a federal autonomous trucking framework in the BUILD America 250 Act is a definitive signal that the moment for autonomous trucking has arrived,” Lior Ron, COO of Waabi, said in a statement to Business Insider.
Ron said that the current federal guidelines were “antiquated” and slowed down innovation.
The bill comes as autonomous cars and trucks increasingly move from demos to commercial operations. Aurora, a Pennsylvania-based autonomous trucking company, announced earlier this month a new 200-mile route between Dallas and Oklahoma City that allows for supervised autonomous driving.
Autonomous trucking companies have said that a national framework could help the industry scale across the US.
The new legislation would not immediately green-light driverless trucks to operate across state lines. Instead, it would establish a federal process for developing safety standards and for regulating the industry.
With approval from the transportation committee, the bill now has to go through the full House and the Senate before it lands on the President’s desk for signature.
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