AVIA Congratulates Sean Duffy on his Confirmation to Head USDOT
WASHINGTON – Today, AVIA released a statement from CEO Jeff Farrah congratulating Sean Duffy following the U.S. Senate confirmation to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of the Department of Transportation:
“The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association congratulates Sean Duffy on his confirmation as the Secretary of Transportation. At his committee hearing, Mr. Duffy demonstrated a strong commitment to implementing a federal policy framework that supports American leadership on autonomous vehicles. AVIA is committed to working alongside Mr. Duffy and his team to ensure the American public will benefit from game-changing AV technology.”
During his nomination hearing last week, Duffy said: “Transportation is entering an extraordinary new era. From eVTOLs, drones and autonomous vehicles to space travel, we are in a global race to out-innovate the rest of the world. If confirmed, we will craft clear regulations that balance safety, innovation, and cutting-edge technology.”
He went on to say, “This is not just a wonderful technology that has a potential of making our roads safer, but this is a national security issue. We can’t fall behind China or other countries as it comes to AV technology. Right now, we have a patchwork of laws from state to state. I believe there has to be a federal law by which all of these innovators abide by. I will always make sure safety is key, but after safety we want to give a wide runway for these companies.”
Earlier this month, AVIA released its comprehensive federal policy framework, “Securing American Leadership in Autonomous Vehicles.” The recommendations for policymakers emphasize the urgent need for federal action to secure the United States’ position as a global leader in autonomous vehicle (AV) technology while ensuring safety, fostering innovation, and promoting economic resilience.
AVIA’s framework builds upon the Department of Transportation’s Framework for Automated Driving System Safety, first introduced in 2020 and prioritizes:
AV Safety, Transparency, and Accountability
- Establishing a National AV Safety Data Repository for incident reporting and transparency.
- Commencing rulemaking on a core set of Autonomous Driving System (ADS) competency requirements and require that commercially deployed ADS manufacturers develop a safety case.
Advancing American Leadership on AVs
- Modernizing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) by NHTSA clarifying, through interpretation and/or regulatory changes, that requirements for manually operated driving controls are not applicable to Level 4 and 5 ADS-equipped vehicles.
- Encouraging federal legislation on, cybersecurity, privacy, and accessibility initiatives.
Supporting Supply Chain Resiliency Through Autonomous Trucking
- Support for America’s supply chain with federal policy on autonomous trucking, including codification of previous Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) 2018 interpretation that a human driver need not be present in a commercial motor vehicle operated by a Level 4 or 5 ADS
- FMCSA action to allow use of cab-mounted warning beacons on autonomous trucks to support road safety and innovation.
Supporting Safety Regulators with Enhanced Resources
- Increasing funding for the Department of Transportation (DOT), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to ensure expert regulators have the resources they need on AV policy.
Protecting National Security While Promoting AV Leadership
- Bolstering domestic manufacturing of critical AV hardware, such as sensors.
Read the full recommendations here.