Key Highlights :
1. A transport union has objected to a request filed by Alphabet's self-driving unit Waymo and autonomous driving technology company Aurora for an exemption from rules on warning devices for large semi-trucks, citing safety issues.
2. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said last month it received a joint application from Waymo and Aurora seeking a five-year exemption from rules that require drivers to place reflective triangles or a flare around a stopped truck to alert other drivers and help prevent a crash.
3. Aurora and Waymo instead want to use warning beacons mounted on the truck cab to avoid the need for human drivers.
4. The Transport Workers Union of America said the petition is "inappropriate, represents an overreach and a misuse of the waiver and exemption process, and would significantly diminish the safety of our roads. It should be rejected in the strongest possible terms."
5. Legislation to speed the deployment of self-driving vehicles and ease hurdles has been stalled for more than five years in Congress.
Washington - A major transport union on Tuesday opposed a request filed by Alphabet's self-driving unit Waymo and autonomous driving technology company Aurora for an exemption from rules on warning devices for large semi-trucks, citing safety issues.
The National Transport Workers Union (NTWU) said in a letter to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that the exemption would "result in more deaths and serious injuries on our nation's roads."
The NTWU cited a study by the University of Michigan that found that semi-trucks with large trailers are four times as likely to be involved in a fatal crash as those with smaller trailers. The NTWU also said that the exemption would allow truck manufacturers to reduce the size of their trailers, which would increase the chances of a fatal crash.
NTWU President James P. Hoffa said in the letter that the union "cannot support an exemption that would put our members' safety and the safety of the public at risk."
