A California bill would have required truck drivers to be on board for autonomous trucks to take over in the event of an emergency or technology failure, but Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed it on Sept. 22.

Existing law provides sufficient regulation, and Newsom wrote in his veto announcement that the bill, AB316, was unnecessary.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles “continuously monitors the testing and operations of autonomous vehicles on California roads and has the authority to suspend or revoke permits as necessary to protect the public's safety,” he wrote.

Unions had backed the bill.

“If Gov. Newsom chooses to not do the right thing, he is sending a message to California and every state in this country that technology should overrule middle-class jobs,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in a statement prior to the veto.