Welcome to today's edition of the Daily 5.
California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has to make a tough call within his progressive political base on whether he's going to allow cutting-edge autonomous trucks on his state's roads without human drivers.
Reporter Pete Bigelow's story today digs into the political quagmire created by the Teamsters union and its friends in the Legislature, who passed a bill requiring human drivers in self-driving trucks. It appears doubtful Newsom will sign that bill.
We've seen this fight coming for years, as Reporter Larry Vellequette opined here in 2016. The trucking industry stands to make massive financial gains from autonomous transportation. That's why it's a good bet you'll see a lot more self-driving trucks on the road before you see as many autonomous light vehicles.
Speaking of labor, the UAW said today it successfully organized General Motors' joint venture Ultium Cells battery plant in Tennessee. It wasn't a surprise and GM didn't oppose it.
But that didn't stop the UAW's press release from saying union members "are proving that the new jobs of the South will be union jobs."
Meanwhile, the early August U.S. sales reports are in and it looks like the month will yield strong gains, led by hybrid vehicles. We'll know more when Ford Motor Co. posts results tomorrow.
That's it for now. Have a great rest of your day!
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