Driverless car bill hits Senate speed bump

The measure was set up under a fast-track process with the hopes of getting it over the finish line this year, but multiple senators are blocking the legislation from moving forward.

Bill sponsors hope to iron out some of the kinks over the next few weeks, but it's unclear whether major sticking points, such as concerns over safety and trucks being excluded from the legislation, can be easily resolved. The Senate is also facing a tight timeline and daunting to-do list before the end of this year, including spending bills and a major tax overhaul.

“Some folks have some holds on it. There are some folks who have some issues,” Sen. Gary PetersGary Charles PetersGOP chairman warns of ISIS's ‘cyber caliphate’Avalanche of Democratic senators say Franken should resignSenate panel moves forward with bill to roll back Dodd-FrankMORE (D-Mich.), one of the bill’s sponsors, told The Hill. “We’re going to keep working on it.”

The measure, which would remove obstacles for getting more self-driving cars on the road, is currently being “hotlined” in the Senate — a process that allows bill sponsors to informally identify any potential concerns with the legislation and gauge whether the proposal could pass the chamber unanimously.

The goal of the legislation is to help the car industry speed up the deployment and testing of autonomous vehicles by gradually waiving traditional automobile standards — like steering wheels and brake pedals — for up to 80,000 vehicles.