LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dockworkers in the Port of Los Angeles are fighting use of driverless electric cargo trucks.
The issue drew union members, business owners and activists to a hearing Thursday by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, which postponed a construction permit for the system after Mayor Eric Garcetti offered to mediate the dispute.
The Los Angeles Times reports the mayor called for a 28-day delay in a decision on the permit, saying it could have far-reaching impacts.
One terminal in Los Angeles and another in the adjacent Port of Long Beach already use driverless vehicles known as utility tractor rigs.
The uproar comes as a facility operated for Denmark's Moller-Maersk by APM Terminals plans to use self-guided cargo handling equipment. Union members fear the equipment will spread to all terminals.
