FMCSA Assistant Administrator to give keynote at Fargo Autonomous Trucking Conference

Michael Hampton, assistant administrator and senior policy advisor for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, will give the opening keynote address at the North American Autonomous Trucking Conference Wednesday, June 24, at the Fargo Holiday Inn.

The conference will highlight the industry’s shift from pilot projects to large-scale commercial deployments, focusing on interstate and multinational operations, multistate policy and regulatory coordination, manufacturing and equipment trends, rapid expansion of middle-mile driverless freight operations, and growing adoption of leader-follower platooning. Additional presenters will include representatives from Transport Canada, state departments of transportation, industry associations and autonomous vehicle manufacturers.

The conference follows a major announcement earlier this month by a leader in autonomous trucking, Gatik, that it was entering a strategic partnership with PepsiCo to bring driverless freight into PepsiCo’s North American food and beverage supply chain. Gatik is a major participant in the Fargo conference.

Sessions during the conference will include:

• Autonomous trucking in Canada and the United States. Experts will explore commonalities and differences in autonomous trucking between the U.S. and Canada and prospects for cross-border autonomous truck movements.
• Federal framework and multistate operations. State and DOT officials and autonomous truck developers will discuss opportunities for coordination across states and how state regulator approaches will be complemented by emerging federal regulations.
• Equipment manufacturers’ plans for producing new autonomous trucks. Experts will focus on future prospects for increased supplies of autonomous trucks resulting from collaborations between original equipment manufacturers and autonomous truck developers, and the integration of autonomous trucks into product lines and fleets.
• Inspection and safety enforcement. Safety experts will describe developments in safety enforcement and enhanced inspections in the U.S. and Canada and potential protocols for cross-border movements.
• Middle/last mile operations. Rich Steiner of Gatik will discuss developments and opportunities for growth in this sector of the industry.
• Platooning. Private sector and regulatory experts will look at current platooning operations, advances in technology, the potential for new platooning operations, and impediments to widespread deployment.
• Growth in Level 4 autonomous trucking. Several autonomous truck companies will discuss their visions for business growth and new deployment opportunities, as well as remaining challenges and obstacles to growth.

The conference is organized and hosted by the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University and funded in part by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

View the full agenda and other conference information at www.ugpti.org/events/atc/. There is no fee to attend, but media are encouraged to register. For more information or questions, contact UGPTI Communications Coordinator at (701) 219-3949 or Thomas.jirik@ndsu.edu.