Shift Magazine - December 2021 - 21

a federal framework for broad deployment
will be helpful. Americans also
need states to initiate rule-makings that
permit testing and deployment for autonomous
trucks.
Q: WOULD A FEDERAL
FRAMEWORK FOR DRIVERLESS
TRUCKS BE EASIER TO GET
ACROSS THE FINISH LINE IN
CONGRESS?
A: The Self-Driving Coalition, Congress
and regulators at the U.S. Department
of Transportation and other agencies, we
all share the same goal: to significantly
reduce the number of lives tragically lost
every year on U.S. roads. This is a safety
issue across the board, whether it's
passenger
light-duty vehicles, mediumor
heavy-duty trucks. It only makes sense
that a federal framework for AVs has to
encompass both trucks and passenger
vehicles in order to even achieve the
safety benefits that we want to see, not
to mention many of the other benefits we
know about as well.
working together. There's a lot of activity
right now, and there's a lot more going
on behind the scenes that isn't publicly
announced yet. Over the last year, the
trucking industry has really come around
on this technology. But for the industry to
continue to scale and usher in the safety
and efficiency and supply chain benefits
to the public, we really do need to see a
federal framework for broad deployment
of AV technology in the country.
Q: WHICH COMPANIES ARE
LEADING THE EFFORT?
A: There are a number of companies
that have been leading the way in the
U.S., and the Self-Driving Coalition
is proud to have them as members:
Aurora, Embark, Kodiak, TuSimple and
Waymo. They're all leading this charge
and
advancing
autonomous
trucking
technology, and we've seen a number
of big announcements on the milestones
and investments. They're establishing
partnerships to ensure that OEMs and
Tier 1 suppliers, freight carriers, shippers
and companies throughout
chain can all get at evaluating the benefits
of autonomous trucks and bring that
business to their customers.
Q: WHAT DO WE NEED FOR THIS
TO BE VIABLE ACROSS THE U.S.?
A: The impacts of the supply chain crisis
and the lack of truck drivers is one of the
bottlenecks standing in the way of job
creation. We're short 80,000 drivers now.
That was a problem before the pandemic,
but it's projected to be even worse in the
coming year because the average truck
driver is in their 50s. There are a lot of
types of trips and routes - long haul,
city driving,
local deliveries - so given
the shortage, there's plenty of room in
the trucking ecosystem for autonomous
trucks to be involved.
With that backdrop, policymakers and
regulators really have to move past misconceptions
about autonomous trucking
and where it fits in with this ecosystem
and understand that
truck drivers and
the supply
autonomous trucks can coexist, while
together supporting the entire supply
chain and the U.S. economy. From there,
Q: WHAT ABOUT THE SAFETY OF
DRIVERLESS TRUCKS?
A: Trust
is essential.
It's essential
to
making all of this work. Education and
public engagement, which are the
building blocks of trust, are critical
components to AV deployment. So, No.
1, safety is the most important thing
for autonomous trucks, which is why
they
undergo
rigorous
development
and testing, whether that's in computer
simulation, on test tracks and with trained
safety drivers on public roads who can
take over if needed.
Q: ANYTHING ELSE?
A:
The
key message
is
that
the
technology is being deployed right now
and is having a positive impact on safety
and efficiency. The industry is looking
to expand that deployment to solve
problems and grow the economy. The
objective is to expand in the areas we're
currently in and find ways through public
policy, regulatory engagement, public
education and transparency to build that
out further. n
december 2021 * shift 21
Shift Magazine - December 2021

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