Union Urges US Regulators to Deny GM’s Self-Driving Cruise Safety Exemption, According to Reuters

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON – The International Brotherhood of Teamsters union on Wednesday urged U.S. auto safety regulators to reject a request from General Motors to exempt its autonomous vehicle unit, Cruise, from certain vehicle safety standards.

In July, the acting head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ann Carlson, stated that a decision on the Cruise petition, which seeks permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without traditional human controls like steering wheels, would be made "in the coming weeks."

Cruise’s petition, submitted in February 2022, asks for government approval to operate vehicles that do not include steering wheels, mirrors, turn signals, or windshield wipers.

Sean O’Brien, president of the 1.2-million member union, expressed deep concern over this request, citing a number of troubling incidents involving Cruise vehicles in San Francisco. He stated, "It is dangerous for other motorists, for pedestrians, and for middle-class jobs for Cruise to make a request like this from NHTSA." O’Brien added that allowing the company to expand its fleet of "advanced" driverless cars would be "catastrophic for everyone."

In response, Cruise highlighted that the majority of public comments regarding its petition were favorable and emphasized its commitment to working closely with NHTSA to ensure the safe and responsible deployment of its technology. The company aims to introduce its Origin vehicle, which features subway-like doors and lacks steering wheels.

In August, the California Department of Motor Vehicles initiated an investigation into recent troubling incidents involving Cruise vehicles in San Francisco and requested that the company remove half of its robotaxis from service—a request Cruise complied with. Currently, the self-driving Cruise vehicles on the road do include human controls.

During an interview on August 24, Carlson did not provide a new timeline for a decision but remarked that the petition focuses on technologies designed for human operation, posing the question of whether exemptions should be granted when the vehicle is not reliant on traditional mirrors and controls. NHTSA did not immediately respond to inquiries on Wednesday.

In 2018, GM had previously petitioned NHTSA to allow the use of a Chevrolet Bolt without steering wheels or brake pedals on U.S. roads, but withdrew the petition in 2020 after the agency did not act on it.

The outcome of this petition is significant for GM, particularly as Congress has been deliberating for years on legislation related to self-driving vehicles.

In December, NHTSA initiated a formal safety investigation into Cruise’s autonomous driving system following reports of injuries in rear-end collisions. The agency indicated that Cruise vehicles may engage in excessively hard braking or become immobilized.