WASHINGTON — Automated vehicles would gain greater adoption with a nationwide policy framework, Chris Spear, president of American Trucking Associations, told members of Congress on Sept. 13.
Addressing the U.S. House panel on highways and transit operations, Spear touted the technology’s potential benefits linked to safety, the workforce and the freight supply chain.
“What’s needed first is a national framework that encourages development, testing and deployment of technology, in direct support of interstate commerce,” the ATA leader told House lawmakers, cautioning that a landscape of state-centric rules governing the technology will eventually lead to regulatory challenges.
“Federal guidance should treat commercial and passenger vehicles equally and require automated vehicles to achieve an acceptable level of safety and performance, rather than requiring the use of specific technologies,” Spear continued. “The ATA and its members commit to working with this subcommittee to help shape this framework, blending technological value with operational realities that reduce highway injuries and fatalities.”
The ongoing modernization of commercial trucks also will serve as a tool for recruiting and retaining individuals interested in joining firms industrywide. As Spear put it, “We believe it is vital to attracting the next generation of talent into the profession.”
Responding to several Democrats’ concerns related to the freight workforce, Spear affirmed autonomous trucking technologies would not lead to disruptions. ATA recently determined the trucking workforce is short about 78,000 drivers.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton pointed to safety as the central issue regarding the technology. (SunJae Smith/American Trucking Associations)
ATA is among myriad stakeholders calling on members of Congress to facilitate AVs’ mainstream adoption in the marketplace. Congressional legislation specific to autonomous vehicles introduced this year has yet to reach the president’s desk for enactment.
Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), the subcommittee’s chairman, pointed to AVs’ focus on safety. Noting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that nearly 43,000 individuals died in motor vehicle accidents in 2022, Crawford said, “autonomous trucks can increase safety on our nation’s roadways and save lives.”
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) also pointed to safety as being the central issue regarding the technology. “We are experiencing a startling rise in roadway fatalities,” she noted. “Autonomous vehicles have the potential to save lives by reducing traffic crashes caused by human behavior, but that potential is not a guarantee. Potential safety benefits must be carefully weighed against risks, especially when public roads are being used as testing grounds for new technologies.”
