The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and a 17-member team were awarded a $7.5 million grad from the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide the trucking industry with practical guidelines for safely integrating automated driving systems into current commercial vehicle fleets. The operational plan, formally called a fleet concept of operations (CONOPS), will include best practices for installation and maintenance, inspection procedures, insurance, roadway readiness, data, and cybersecurity for automated driving systems. In concert with the plan, the team will demonstrate the technology, developed by Pronto.ai, on public U.S. roadways using existing heavy vehicles that have been retrofitted. Common driving situations, such as queuing in ports, drayage operations, and exit-to-exit scenarios, will be tested using a gradual, phased approach. Notably, one demonstration will involve a highly automated truck driving from San Francisco to New York--the first unmanned, uninterrupted cross-country journey in a heavy vehicle.
As part of the team’s efforts to deploy ADS on commercial vehicles in the U.S. the team will be conducting a series of roadshows to showcase the latest developments in commercial vehicle automation. The roadshows will include OEMs, developers, and suppliers who would like to demonstrate their latest products and technologies on a closed test track and provide hands-on experience to industry. The roadshows will be used to gather industry feedback on operational domains, deployment methods, operational concerns, and safety concerns. VTTI will use incorporate this feedback into its CONOPS for ADS deployment.
One key focus of the roadshows will be providing hands-on experience with new technologies to industry. The roadshows will be conducted on closed test tracks and include specialized equipment and secondary vehicles so that industry can experience each system’s full capabilities. This hands-on approach will improve the feedback from fleets, drivers, roadside inspectors, insurance groups, and government officials for use in the CONOPS.
VTTI will work with companies that are participating to create customized questionnaires to gather feedback at the roadshows. The questionnaires will allow for a mix of private feedback to help the companies understand industry needs and public feedback that can be incorporated into the project and the CONOPS.
Feedback from the roadshows will be used to document industry’s expectations, concerns, and interests in commercial vehicle automation. It will also include use cases where industry believes automation could provide a benefit and feasibly be integrating into operations. This feedback will be incorporated into the CONOPS to ensure the project’s testing will address industry concerns where feasible.
Please email ADSRoadshows@vtti.vt.edu if you have suggestions or preferences for roadshow scheduling, content, or venues.