Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/782964
commercial carrier journal | february 2017 23 tive charging. A truck running 65 mph down a Colorado highway while simulta- neously receiving a charge is likely many years away; RoadX's initial focus will be to charge a smaller electric passenger car while parked at roadside. CDOT said that by 2018, the RoadX program is slated to deploy technology that will reduce the cost of transporting goods by 25 percent, turn a rural state highway into a zero-death road and im- prove congestion on critical corridors. e Pennsylvania Department of Transportation rang in 2017 by applying for a U.S. Department of Transporta- tion solicitation to be designated as an Automated Vehicle Proving Ground Pilot. Pennsylvania was the first state to host Uber's self-driving car pilot program. e application also includes the possible use of Penn State University's closed track, where commercial trucks, transit buses and other vehicles can be tested at low speeds and with controlled incidents. While states are embracing the possibilities of autono- mous transportation, let's hope that a nationally derived strategy down this path hap- pens sooner and not later. The United States of Autonomy From driverless vehicles to connected highways E xpect 2017 to be a big year for autonomous technology in trucking, as a growing number of states pile on more of what this segment to-date has lacked the most: regulation. Until there is a nationwide standard of what is and what is not allowable across the different levels of autono- my, the kind of testing needed for this technology to take off will be held back. Without universal regulations, laws are le open to the wide interpretations of various state agencies – a risky proposition for multimillion-dollar pilot programs. Currently, 10 states plus Washington D.C. have some form of autonomous regula- tions on the books, and that number is poised to grow. e National Conference of State Legislatures says that in the last four years, more than 30 states have considered autonomous vehicle legislation. Last year, more than a dozen states introduced bills on autonomy. Some succeeded, others failed, and more are pending. As 2016 closed its books, Michigan OK'd a bill to allow companies to test self-driv- ing cars on public state roads and make the Motor City among the most autono- mous-friendly in the country. Kirk Steudle, Michigan Department of Transportation director, plans for his state to become the place that helps define mobility for the future. With much of the restrictions lied from Michigan's roadways, the metro Detroit area will serve as General Motors' primary cold weather and winter testing grounds for autonomous technology. Mary Barra, GM chairman and chief executive officer, said the company will begin autonomous vehicle testing on the state's public roads immediately. GM also is testing more than 40 autonomous vehicles in the somewhat warmer climates of San Francisco and Scottsdale, Ariz. Colorado, which last fall hosted what was touted as the first autonomous delivery of a commercial load, isn't willing to cede the autonomous crown to Michigan without a fight. e Colorado Department of Transportation is investing $20 million this year in its RoadX project to combat congestion and improve safety through the use of technology. Atkins, a design, engineering and project management consultancy, is working with CDOT on RoadX. e program's initiatives include testing a stretch of highway embedded with an electric coil that will feed power to electric-powered trucks via induc- PRODUCT REVIEWS, OEM & SUPPLIER NEWS, AND EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT TRENDS BY JASON CANNON JASON CANNON is Equipment Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail jcannon@randallreilly.com or call (205) 248-1175. POPULAR TOPIC: In the last four years, more than 30 states have tackled auton- omous vehicle legislation. MIXED RESULTS: Last year, more than a dozen states introduced successful and failed bills on autonomy. FOCUSED FUTURE: Let's hope that a nationally derived autonomous strategy happens sooner and not later. Currently, 10 states and Washington D.C. have some form of autonomous regulation on the books, and that number is poised to grow.