The push to swap human drivers in commercial trucks with artificial intelligence-powered systems is being met with public wariness, pushback and even litigation, as the technology moves from testing to deployment.

The autonomous truck industry says driverless semis can save lives and help address a driver shortage. Critics counter that self-driving big rigs pose a danger and will supplant jobs. 

Tension is growing between the two sides as deployment quickly expands and as states write the rules of the road without federal regulations.

Teamsters California sued the Department of Motor Vehicles this month challenging new state regulations for light- and heavy-duty autonomous vehicles. The Teamsters say self-driving trucks are an “existential threat to the livelihoods” of its members and allege the DMV violated the law by not properly evaluating the economic impacts or allowing adequate public feedback.    

“Such a critical decision with life-and-death consequences must involve public input and transparency,” Peter Finn, Teamsters California co-chair, said in an Aug. 5 statement announcing the lawsuit. 

The DMV declined to comment on active litigation.

Jeff Farrah, CEO of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, criticized the lawsuit in a statement posted to X as a “last-ditch attempt to undermine the regulatory authority of the Department of Motor Vehicles, and it should be rejected.”

The Teamsters have sought to pass laws in California and elsewhere requiring human drivers behind the wheel of autonomous trucks, which the industry views as a roadblock to deployment. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, both Democrats, have twice vetoed so-called driver-in bills. In a veto statement this year, Polis said the bill “risks preventing Coloradans from being on the cutting edge of innovation that would improve safety in the future.”

Read more: Newsom vetoes autonomous truck bill

Similar legislation failed last year in Delaware, Indiana, Maryland and Texas. 

“Requiring a human operator in a driverless truck isn’t unreasonable — it’s common sense,” Brent Taylor, a Texas Teamsters official, said in a statement when the bill was still under consideration. 

This year brought other proposed autonomous truck regulations, reflecting public skepticism. A March poll from Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety found that 85% of respondents were concerned about sharing the road with autonomous trucks.

Alabama lawmakers failed to pass a bill that would have prohibited autonomous oversized loads. An Iowa bill barring hazardous shipments without a human driver also died. The Alaska House unanimously passed a “driver-in” bill, but it stalled in the Senate.

Meanwhile, other states are embracing the technology.

Indiana and Ohio have teamed up on a U.S. Department of Transportation grant project to allow “platooning” trucks on Interstate 70 between Columbus and Indianapolis. Under the program, a lead truck with a human driver is electronically linked to a second truck that follows close behind. The second truck also has a driver in the cab as a safety measure.

Swedish-based Einride is operating driverless short-haul freight operations in Marysville, Ohio.

Read more: Ohio roads to see self-driving, cab-less trucks for first time

A 2025 Montana law instructed the state Department of Transportation to study the feasibility and safety of platooning trucks, given the state’s harsh weather conditions and terrain. 

Minnesota lawmakers considered a bill that would allow a vehicle platoon pilot project for sugar beet hauling in two Minnesota counties. It was modeled on a program in North Dakota. 

The legislative battles come as more driverless trucks hit the road.

Aurora Innovation announced this month that it has begun autonomous tractor-trailer operations at night across the 240 miles between Dallas and Houston. The company began daytime trips between those cities in May 2025. The company also operates between Fort Worth and Phoenix, and Dallas and Oklahoma City. 

Gatik, which operates autonomous box trucks, is transporting PepsiCo products in Arizona, Arkansas and Texas. Gatik driverless trucks also deliver products for Walmart and Tyson Foods

Kodiak AI trucks haul oil field sand in the Permian Basin of New Mexico and Texas with plans to expand operations.

Last week, Kodiak announced that it received a permit under the new California DMV regulations, which will allow it to begin testing its trucks on California roads with a safety driver on board. Aurora and Gatik also have permits.

Even as the industry celebrates these milestones, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents unionized drivers, is battling back with bills aimed at slowing the rollout of autonomous trucks.

Read more: Teamsters pump the brakes on autonomous vehicle bills

The legal landscape for autonomous trucks varies state to state because there is no federal framework. 

According to U.S. Rep. Vince Fong, a California Republican, 35 states allow autonomous truck testing or deployment. He has sought to advance federal legislation that would preempt those states with driver-in laws for commercial vehicles. 

Elements of Fong’s proposed framework were incorporated into the BUILD America 250 Act, a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the nation’s surface transportation funding. The bill was advanced by the House Transportation committee.

“With other nations rapidly integrating autonomous trucking into their supply chains, America cannot afford to fall behind,” Fong said in a statement in May. “Currently, a confusing patchwork of state regulations is holding us back.” 

The Trump administration has been bullish on autonomous vehicles. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy released an Autonomous Vehicle Framework in April 2025 aimed at removing regulatory barriers and encouraging commercial deployment while prioritizing safety.

Companies and investors are betting big on autonomous trucking’s future. The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association says that since 2018 more than $6 billion in private capital has been invested in the nascent industry. 

Consulting firm McKinsey in 2024 projected that the autonomous trucking industry could become a $600 billion market by 2035. A University of Illinois study released last month estimated that driverless trucks could save 35% in transportation costs.