| The next time you click "order," your package just might make its way from the warehouse to your doorstep with the help of a driverless truck. That's the goal, anyway, for autonomous trucking company Gatik AI, which is focused on the "middle mile"—the routes that connect distribution centers, fulfillment centers, and retail stores. The California-based startup aims to capitalize on this lucrative slice of the market as it looks to go "freight-only" (read: no human safety operators in the cabin) and expand the number of trucks it has on the road from 65 today to roughly 300 by the end of next year. Tech Brew recently caught up with Richard Steiner, Gatik's VP of government relations and public affairs, to chat about the most pressing legislative and regulatory issues facing the autonomous trucking sector. "My job is to ensure no surprises, as far as our work with the federal, state, and local authorities is concerned," he said. Gatik counts Walmart, Kroger, and Tyson Foods among its paying customers. Later this year, it aims to go freight-only in Texas. But another major market—California—currently has Steiner's attention, as a bill (AB 2286) that would essentially ban autonomous trucks is heading to the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom, who last year vetoed a similar bill. The California Senate last month OK'd the bill that, according to Trucking Dive, would require human drivers to remain in autonomous trucks potentially through decade's end. "This bill would step right into the middle of an as yet unfinished regulatory rulemaking process," Steiner told us, "which is being led by incredibly experienced regulators at the state level, which we think is entirely appropriate." Keep reading here.—JG | 
Guide → 
Guide → 
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario