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DOT Forms Committee on Automation

The committee will address the development and deployment of automated vehicles and the Department of Transportation’s related research and regulations.

January 13, 2017
DOT Forms Committee on Automation

A new committee will address the development and deployment of automated vehicles and the DOT’s related research and regulations. Seen here is a Google self-driving car prototype.

3 min to read


A new committee will address the development and deployment of automated vehicles and the DOT’s related research and regulations. Seen here is a Google self-driving car prototype.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is establishing a new advisory committee focused on automation across multiple modes.

The committee is slated to hold its first meeting on Monday. According to the DOT, the group will work on some of the most pressing matters facing transportation today, including the development and deployment of automated vehicles, and determining the needs of the DOT as it continues with its related research, policy, and regulations.

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“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,” outgoing U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. ”This new automation committee will work to advance lifesaving innovations while boosting our economy and making our transportation network more fair, reliable, and efficient.”

According to the DOT, as technology develops, automation may play a larger role in a number of modes of transportation, including cars, buses, trains, planes, and UAS (drone) systems. The automation committee is tasked with sharing best practices, challenges, and opportunities and opening lines of communication so that stakeholders can learn and adapt based on feedback from each other.

Here are the committee members:

1. Co-chair: Mary Barra, General Motors, chairman and CEO
2. Co-chair: Eric Garcetti, mayor of Los Angeles
3. Vice chair: Dr. J. Chris Gerdes, Stanford University, professor of engineering
4. Gloria Boyland, FedEx, corporate vice president, operations and service support
5. Robin Chase, co-founder of Zipcar and Veniam
6. Douglas Chey, Hyperloop One, senior vice president of systems development
7. Henry Claypool, Community Living Policy Center, policy director
8. Mick Cornett, mayor of Oklahoma City
9. Mary “Missy” Cummings, Duke University, director, Humans and Autonomy Lab, Pratt School of Engineering
10. Dean Garfield, Information Technology Industry Council, president and CEO
11. Mary Gustanski, Delphi Automotive, vice president of engineering and program management
12. Debbie Hersman, National Safety Council, president and CEO
13. Rachel Holt, Uber, regional general manager, U.S. and Canada
14. Lisa Jackson, Apple, vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives
15. Tim Kentley-Klay, Zoox, co-founder and CEO
16. John Krafcik, Waymo, CEO
17. Gerry Murphy, Amazon, senior corporate counsel, aviation
18. Robert Reich, University of California, Berkeley, chancellor's professor of public policy, Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy
19. Keller Rinaudo, Zipline International, CEO
20. Chris Spear, American Trucking Associations, president and CEO
21. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, Safety Reliability Methods Inc., founder and CEO
22. Bryant Walker Smith, University of South Carolina, assistant professor, School of Law and (by courtesy) School of Engineering
23. Jack Weekes, State Farm Insurance, operations vice president, innovation team
24. Ed Wytkind, AFL-CIO, president, transportation trades department
25. John Zimmer, Lyft, co-founder and president

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