Federal Highway Administration National Dialogue on Highway Automation: September 5-6, 2018 Freight Workshop Summary
Breakout Session III: Action Planning Discussion
This section summarizes participant feedback on action planning and next steps regarding freight and automation. Participants were asked to identify specific actions or recommendations for either FHWA or other stakeholders to address some of the challenges and opportunities brought up during the previous breakout discussions. Key recommendations are summarized below:
- Convene a multimodal discussion to ensure AV technologies are compatible across the transportation system (e.g., rail, truck, ports).
- Establish a stakeholder advisory group to share information between the public and private sectors. This could enable stakeholders to forge consensus on basic principles and safety considerations. Results should be made available for public input.
- Work cooperatively with stakeholders to educate consumers and address public concerns.
- Develop strategies among State and local DOTs and the USDOT to support automated CMV operation on the existing infrastructure. Manage expectations that roadway infrastructure be modified to meet the needs of automated CMVs.
- Lead the development of a framework for setting standards for vehicles, roadway systems, and communication systems.
- Create a framework that clarifies why we are integrating automation into our transportation system, where automation is anticipated, what entity is responsible for the integration, and the steps necessary to support successful integration.
- Collaborate with State DOTs to establish a national network of automated freight corridors.
- Maintain an inventory of automation policies by jurisdiction and identify differences and similarities to support policy harmonization.
- Conduct research to determine the impacts that automated CMVs will have on highway safety and invite public response in coordination with the appropriate agencies.
- Develop in coordination with stakeholders a new way to measure and validate safety performance, as well as address existing regulations for commercial vehicle equipment and operations. This could include assessing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, and State and local regulations.
