A new coalition dedicated to advancing a federal policy framework for autonomous vehicles (AVs) in the United States was unveiled earlier this week.

The American Trucking Associations, the Truck & Engine Manufacturers Association, MEMA, and the Institute for Safer Trucking are among the 28 organizations that comprise “United for Autonomy.” The group said 26 U.S. states currently authorize Level 4 or 5 autonomous driving systems on their roads. However, only the federal government can uniformly regulate vehicle design, construction, and performance.

“It is exciting to see a broad range of stakeholders come together to push common sense policy that will solidify American leadership in autonomous vehicles,” said Jeff Farrah, CEO of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA). “Autonomous vehicles have the potential to dramatically reduce the 40,000 traffic fatalities we see each year, provide independence to people who cannot drive, and strengthen American supply chains. But realizing that potential requires federal government leadership.”

Seeking Leadership from DOT 

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R) sought input on the data and research needed to support the deployment of AVs.  Dozens of advocacy groups and individual companies filed comments calling for both federal leadership and a more coordinated research effort.

“We believe that the next era of automated mobility requires a shift from isolated testing to shared scientific validation,” according to SaferDriveAI, a company that develops simulation infrastructure for validating the safety of autonomous vehicles.

Numerous commenters including the ATA called for a single, unified framework that eliminates redundancies between federal and state requirements, led and managed by DOT.

“The nation needs a transparent, evidence-based, and scalable approach to assess and assure AV safety in real-world context,” the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute said.

A focus on freight transportation

Torc Robotics said that in 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s research identified 37 common pre-crash scenarios for light-duty vehicles, and in 2014 the agency identified 22 common pre-crash scenarios for heavy-duty vehicles.

Torc recommended DOT take the next step of developing a set of pre-crash scenarios specific to autonomous Class 8 trucks. The scenarios should be presented in a format that developers of automated driving systems can incorporate into their simulation toolchain.

ATA asked DOT to “coordinate with FMCSA to ensure differences between commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles are identified, researched, and incorporated into the development of a federal framework.” It also highlighted the additional data and other privacy risks trucks face compared with other vehicles on the road.

“The complexity of keeping that data safe and secure can look very different for commercial vehicles,” ATA said. 

Geotab informed DOT that its experience with fleet benchmarking and reporting could serve as a model for measuring the fuel consumption, emissions, safety performance, and overall operational efficiency of autonomous vehicles.

“Geotab can provide detailed analysis of driving behaviors, collision detection, and driver risk scores, which could be adapted to evaluate the safety performance of AVs in mixed-fleet environments,” the company said. 

Farrah, CEO of AVIA, called for greater consideration of regulatory waivers, pilot programs, and other exemption tools to support the deployment of new technology. He praised FMCSA for approving a limited waiver that allows autonomous trucking companies to use cab-mounted warning beacons in place of traditional reflective triangles.

Farrah also called for federal measures to support the growth of the domestic supply chain for AV technologies, such as creating a pilot program to incentivize the domestic production of sensors.

Assisting the disabled, winning public acceptance are other key topics

Advocacy groups such as the Paralyzed Veterans of America stressed to DOT the critical role autonomous transportation can play in enhancing the lives of people with disabilities. 

They expressed disappointment that most autonomous rideshare vehicles are not wheelchair accessible. They called for harmonized automated restraint and securement systems to allow a person using a wheelchair or scooter to ride independently in an autonomous vehicle.

Expanded engagement and training with law enforcement and first responders were also frequently cited in comments, as was a need to better understand how to win public acceptance. For example, the California Department of Transportation expressed interest in research of “human-machine interfaces that explain AV decisions in real time to passengers, especially those unfamiliar with AV technology.”