USDOT creates new federal automation committee

The U.S. Department of Transportation is establishing a new advisory committee focused on automation research, development and regulation across several transportation modes, the department said in a statement.    The U.S. Department of Transportation is establishing a new advisory committee focused on automation research, development and regulation across several transportation modes, the department said in a statement.
   The committee will hold its first meeting Jan. 16, 2017 to discuss best practices, challenges, and opportunities in automation of vehicles, including cars, buses, trains, planes, and UAS (drone) systems, and the needs of the DOT with regard to continued research, policy and regulation surrounding the budding technology.
   The members of the DOT committee on automation include
     • Co-Chair: Mary Barra- General Motors, Chairman and CEO;
     • Co-Chair: Eric Garcetti- Mayor of Los Angeles, Calif.;
     • Vice Chair: Dr. J. Chris Gerdes- Stanford University, Professor of Engineering;
     • Gloria Boyland- FedEx, Corporate Vice President, Operations & Service Support;
     • Robin Chase- Zipcar; Buzzcar; Veniam, Co-founder of Zipcar and Veniam;
     • Douglas Chey- Hyperloop One, Senior Vice President of Systems Development;
     • Henry Claypool- Community Living Policy Center, Policy Director;
     • Mick Cornett- Mayor of Oklahoma City, Okla.;
     • Mary “Missy” Cummings- Duke University, Director, Humans and Autonomy Lab, Pratt School of Engineering;
     • Dean Garfield- Information Technology Industry Council, President and CEO;
     • Mary Gustanski- Delphi Automotive, Vice President of Engineering & Program Management;
     • Debbie Hersman- National Safety Council, President and CEO;
     • Rachel Holt- Uber, Regional General Manager, United States and Canada;
     • Lisa Jackson- Apple, Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives;
     • Tim Kentley-Klay- Zoox, Co-founder and CEO;
     • John Krafcik- Waymo, CEO;
     • Gerry Murphy- Amazon, Senior Corporate Counsel, Aviation;
     • Robert Reich- University of California, Berkeley, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy, Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy;
     • Keller Rinaudo- Zipline International, CEO;
     • Chris Spear- American Trucking Association (ATA), President and CEO;
     • Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger- Safety Reliability Methods, Inc., Founder and CEO;
     • Bryant Walker Smith- University of South Carolina, Assistant Professor, School of Law and (by courtesy) School of Engineering;
     • Jack Weekes- State Farm Insurance, Operations Vice President, Innovation Team;
     • Ed Wytkind- President, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO;
     • And John Zimmer- Lyft, Co-founder and President;
   “During my time at the Department, we have fostered some of the most significant technological changes to ever take place in transportation, and we did so while keeping our focus on the safety of the American people,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. ”This new automation committee will work to advance life-saving innovations while boosting our economy and making our transportation network more fair, reliable, and efficient.”
   According to the USDOT’s Beyond Traffic 2045 Report, the nation’s population is expected to grow by 70 million more people in the next three decades, with freight volumes increasing more than 40 percent in that time, underlining the need for this committee to play a role in helping the country prepare for its infrastructure needs in the coming years.