In Letter to President-Elect Trump, AVIA Urges Federal Leadership to Support Autonomous Vehicle Deployment

Washington, D.C.  – This week, the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA) congratulated Donald Trump on being elected as the 47th President of the United States. In a letter to the President-Elect, AVIA CEO Jeff Farrah highlighted the significant progress made in the autonomous vehicle (AV) industry and emphasized the need for a federal policy framework to ensure the United States remains a global leader in AV technology.

From the letter: “The United States can continue to lead the world on AVs, but it is imperative that a federal policy framework be put in place that promotes private sector capital investment and accelerates innovation here in the United States.

“The AV industry is looking forward to working closely with Secretary-Designate Sean Duffy and his team at the Department of Transportation. If the Department’s many important tools are effectively leveraged, your Administration will unleash a new wave of economic output, supply chain resilience, and increased safety. It is imperative that your Administration move quickly on establishing a federal policy framework that supports the deployment of autonomous vehicles in the U.S.”

In recent years, the U.S. AV industry has logged more than 70 million autonomous miles on U.S. public roads with robotaxis, autonomous trucks, and zero-occupancy delivery vehicles operating in many cities and states. These advancements highlight the growing role of AV technology in addressing national challenges, such as improving supply chain efficiency, enhancing road safety, expanding economic opportunity, and increasing transportation access for underserved communities.

In the letter, Farrah underscored that federal leadership is essential to complement state-level efforts: “State-level interest in this game-changing technology is welcome, but it is no substitute for federal leadership as only it can uniformly regulate the design, construction, and performance of motor vehicles.”

Read the full letter here.

The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA) represents the world’s leading autonomous vehicle companies. AVIA works to promote the safe and responsible deployment of autonomous vehicles to transform mobility, improve road safety, and unlock economic opportunities.