Why Walmart Is Lobbying In Some States
Walmart is doubling down on one initiative that some have deemed dangerous by lobbying to state legislators.
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Walmart has been putting a huge focus on autonomous vehicles in recent years. The retail giant has invested in a slew of self-driving companies in the service of bolstering this focus. In the coming years, the retail giant has plans to fully integrate its fleet of self-driving trucks into its regular flow of operations. The autonomous trucks will purportedly be used in last-mile deliveries and in other shipping scenarios. In order to help ensure its vision becomes a reality, Walmart has been lobbying in at least three separate states in hopes of leveraging these states’ governments to pass autonomous-vehicle-friendly laws.
To date, Walmart is known to have lobbied for pro-autonomous vehicle legislation in Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Walmart alluded to their lobbyist movements to Business Insider, “We’re encouraged by our discussions with elected officials throughout the country interested in safely advancing autonomous vehicle technology,” stated Walmart. The retailer also clarified how it views autonomous vehicles in relation to its business as well as the greater public. “We see AV technology as supplemental to our delivery offerings in locations where the technology, safety, and legal requirements best suit the needs of our customers,” asserted a statement from the retail titan.
Since beginning its efforts to get state governments on board with its autonomous driving initiatives, Walmart has been able to achieve success in the three states its been petitioning. Its home state of Arkansas was a quick win for Walmart. With the help of Arkansas state representative Austin McCollum, a Republican from Bentonville (the town where Walmart is based), legislation was passed that has allowed Walmart to run an autonomous vehicle pilot program between a handful of stores in the area. Referencing the legislation, McCollum said it was an important “forward-thinking” move for the state of Arkansas.
Walmart was also able to get legislators in Oklahoma on board. State Senator Paul Rosino explained that for him, it was a no-brainer to pass the legislation. Rosino explained that his rationale is that there is already a shortage of truck drivers on the roads, and it is his belief that autonomous vehicles could do a lot to offset that gap. “We don’t have enough truck drivers as it is — if we don’t allow AVs, we’re still going to have supply-chain issues in our state and country,” stated Rosino. The new legislation in Oklahoma allows autonomous vehicles to operate on all public roads in the state.
Things in Kansas did not go as smoothly for Walmart. There, Walmart had been getting a ton of pushback from the public and legislators alike. They have expressed concerns over driver safety and the potential for autonomous vehicles to take jobs away from individuals. Despite the hiccups, however, there is a bill set to go into effect that will allow driverless vehicles to operate on Kansas roads.
Overall, there are still a lot of questions and uncertainties that go along with self-driving vehicles. This is to be expected, especially considering that their presence has the potential to affect everyone on the roads. However, as of now, the future looks to be one where human drivers will be sharing the roads with vehicles operated solely via autonomous technologies. And Walmart is one entity spearheading that path forward.
