DOT Seeks Feedback on Driverless Vehicles

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced that it will work to remove “unnecessary regulatory barriers to the safe introduction of automated driving systems” on vehicles operating in the U.S, according to TruckingInfo.com, and it wants to know what the public thinks about it.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) are calling for public comment on matters related to rolling out autonomous driving systems “to ensure that all potential approaches are fully considered as the agencies move forward with these regulatory actions.”

NHTSA is largely charged with writing and enforcing the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), which address the crash avoidance, crashworthiness and post-crash survivability capabilities of new cars and trucks. FMCSA, on the other hand, regulates motor carriers with the goal of reducing crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.  

NHTSA will seek comment on identifying and addressing regulatory barriers to the deployment of ADS-equipped vehicles posed by certain existing FMVSS. The agency also wants to hear from the public on ways to measure compliance with the FMVSS for vehicles that are not equipped with conventional controls.

The FMCSA will solicit public comment on questions related to several regulatory areas to help the agency “better understand how changes to its rules can account for significant differences between human operators and ADS.” These questions cover such topics as:

• Requirements of human drivers
• CDL endorsements
• Hours-of-service rules
• Medical qualifications
• Distracted driving
• Safe driving
• Inspection
• Repair
• Maintenance
• Roadside inspections
• Cybersecurity

Both agencies will have a 60-day public comment period, which begins with publication of the advanced notice of proposed rulemakings in the Federal Register.