With help from Oriana Pawlyk and James Bikales
— Teamsters rally in support of a California bill to prohibit fully driverless trucks.
— Republicans are already circling to take over Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ E&C gavel.
— FAA chief Mike Whitaker heads to Seattle to meet with FAA and Boeing officials.
IT’S MONDAY: You’re reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. You can reach Oriana and Tanya at [email protected] and [email protected], respectively. Find us on the platform formerly known as Twitter @Oriana0214 and @TSnyderDC.
“I drove all night to get to you / Is that all right / I drove all night.”
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LABOR GIVES IT ANOTHER GO: Teamsters and their allies in the California state legislature have teamed up for the reintroduction of a state bill that would require a trained human operator in autonomous trucks. AB 2286 is a direct challenge to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who vetoed a previous iteration of the bill, AB 316, last September despite more than 90 percent support in the legislature. Labor groups are holding a rally today in support of the bill.
Opposition to autonomous vehicles was already at a fever pitch in California when Newsom nixed the bill — but it remains “one of labor’s highest priorities,” reports Lara Korte, along with SB 915, which gives local governments more authority over self-driving vehicle operations.
Against the push is industry interests, who argue that restrictions such as those the bills seek would crimp the supply chain. Jeff Farrah, CEO of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, said “truck drivers and autonomous trucks” can “thrive together in the future” despite concerns from labor.
Dozens of companies are competing in the autonomous trucking business, having already driven tens of millions of miles, though always with a driver behind the wheel just in case, primarily in Texas, Florida, New Mexico and Arizona. Walmart, Kroger, FedEx, IKEA and Tyson Foods all use autonomous trucks to deliver their products. The industry is heavily invested in autonomy, saying it’s safer and more cost-effective and that it makes trucking a more appealing job. Given labor’s opposition to autonomous trucking, industry is careful to underscore that it’ll still be a long time before drivers are fully out of the equation — but in the long run, cutting labor costs is a big reason behind the billions in investment in the sector.
The view from Washington: Congress has been stalled for seven years on its efforts to create a legislative framework for self-driving cars, and no one has been willing to touch driverless trucks yet. A fight in the Senate over whether that chamber’s bill would apply to heavy trucks as well as light-duty vehicles was one of the reasons that process broke down in 2018. The House held a hearing on the issue last year but hasn’t considered legislation to create a federal regulatory path forward for driverless trucks.
CMR 2.0: Within hours of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) announcing she would not seek reelection, Republicans started lining up to succeed her as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), who chairs the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, is one of them, reports Tim Cama. Latta leads the House GOP on efforts to craft a bipartisan legislative framework for autonomous vehicles. He’s got seniority on his side.
Latta competition: Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), chair of the Health Subcommittee, is also interested in the gig. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) could also be contenders. McMorris Rodgers was the first woman to chair the committee.
WHITAKER TO SEATTLE: FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker will visit Boeing and FAA facilities in and around Seattle early this week “as part of the FAA’s continuous work to enhance safety,” the agency said in a statement. He wants to meet with FAA employees and others involved with manufacturing and production amid greater agency scrutiny of Boeing and a deep dive into its own oversight and accountability practices.
GET TO SCHOOL: The FAA on Friday announced it’s creating an expanded program that the agency hopes will get more air traffic controllers through the training pipeline sooner. In essence, it allows Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) schools to not only offer the same curriculum as at the FAA Academy, it also allows CTI graduates to begin working as soon as they graduate. Right now, CTI graduates have to then go through the FAA Academy.
Sign up here: Starting in April, schools can apply to join the FAA’s Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative. Whitaker last week told lawmakers in the future, the program could open up to more schools, “particularly those with a technical bent.” Oriana has more.
On the move: Airlines for America, which has called for the FAA to reinvigorate the CTI program, on Friday said the latest move signals that the agency is “moving quickly in form and substance.”
“This is an important step in addressing ATC staffing shortages and will have a meaningful impact on the workforce pipeline.” A4A said on X.
Curious where CTI schools are? Here’s a handy map.
RED SEA ATTACKS NOT SLOWING FREIGHT DOWN: Despite attacks on ships in the Red Sea, cargo coming in to the nation’s major ports is increasing, according to the Global Port Tracker report released Friday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. “Only about 12% of U.S.-bound cargo comes through the Suez Canal but the situation in the Red Sea is bringing volatility and uncertainty that are being felt around the globe,” NRF vice president of supply chain and customs policy Jonathan Gold said. The groups said the shipping industry is using extra capacity it has leftover from the pandemic and has added vessels. “Service from Asia to the U.S. East Coast is working well and the dramatic rise in freight rates is showing signs of easing,” said Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett. Ports have not yet reported January numbers but the tracker projects that cargo will be slightly over the same time last year.
FIRST IN MT: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and other House Democrats are sending a letter to NHTSA acting Administrator Sophie Shulman today urging her to include a light vehicle mandate for automatic emergency braking for cyclists as well as pedestrians in the upcoming update to the New Car Assessment Program. NHTSA announced a rulemaking last May for pedestrian AEB in cars and light trucks. Blumenauer and his co-signers pointed to “ample research” and “strong public demand” in support of including bicycles. Cyclist deaths are at their highest level in decades.
AFPM LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN ON EV RULES: The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers is launching a $7 million campaign today in key battleground states bashing the Biden administration’s efforts to push electric vehicle adoption. AFPM plans to run the ads in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, Ohio and Montana — states where polling it commissioned showed voters oppose “gas car ban policies” — as well as D.C. The campaign is targeting EPA’s proposed tailpipe rule, DOT’s proposed fuel economy standards and EPA’s consideration of California’s waiver request to enforce its rule phasing out gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035.
Fact check: Only the California rule would “ban” gas-powered car sales — the other two federal proposals are performance-based standards designed to push automakers towards selling more EVs. The AFPM ads, however, accuse the Biden administration of “rushing to ban new gas-powered cars — no matter where you live or what you need, they want to force you into an electric vehicle.”
Katherine Estep, vice president of communications at Airlines for America, will now be a communications consultant through KME Strategies.
— “House Dems game out climate messaging at policy retreat.” E&E News.
— “‘Somewhat terrified’: A key Biden official gets candid on Trump’s agenda.” POLITICO.
— “Federal financial regulators dig into possible mineral markets.” E&E News.
— “The Best-Loved Bridges in California.” The New York Times.
— “EU delivers nothingburger to Uber and Deliveroo workers.” POLITICO Europe.
— “How production pressures plunged Boeing into yet another crisis.” Reuters.
— “NJ’s World Cup transit challenge: Replicate Taylor Swift success, avoid Super Bowl disaster.” POLITICO Pro.
— “Canadian man opens Thai Airways plane door before takeoff in Thailand.” Reuters.
— “It Looks a Lot Like Taylor Swift Had Two Private Jets for Her Super Bowl Flight.” Gizmodo.
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— “I Learned It All in Driver’s Ed.” The Wall Street Journal.
— “5 Red Line stations to close this summer for Purple Line project, Metro says.” NBC4.
