U.S. Department of Transportation Announces New Federal Committee on Automation

The committee, which includes leading professionals and experts in their field, will hold its first meeting on January 16th, 2017 to immediately begin work on some of the most pressing and relevant matters facing transportation today.

This includes the development and deployment of automated vehicles, and determining the needs of the Department as it continues with its relevant research, policy, and regulations.

“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,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

”This new automation committee will work to advance life-saving innovations while boosting our economy and making our transportation network more fair, reliable, and efficient.”

The new committee members are:

1. Co-Chair: Mary Barra- General Motors, Chairman and CEO
2. Co-Chair: Eric Garcetti- Mayor of Los Angeles, CA
3. Vice Chair: Dr. J. Chris Gerdes- Stanford University, Professor of Engineering
4. Gloria Boyland - FedEx, Corporate Vice President, Operations & Service Support
5. Robin Chase - Zipcar; Buzzcar; Veniam, 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, OK
9. Mary “ldquo;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 & Program Management
12. Debbie Hersman - National Safety Council, President and CEO
13. Rachel Holt - Uber, Regional General Manager, United States 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 Association (ATA), 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 - Transportation Trades Department, President, AFL-CIO
25. John Zimmer - Lyft, Co-founder and President

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.

This committee will play a critical role in sharing best practices, challenges, and opportunities in automation, and will open lines of communication so stakeholders can learn and adapt based on feedback from each other.

As found in the Department’s Beyond Traffic 2045 Report about the future of transportation, the nation’s population is expected to grow by 70 million more people in the next three decades, and face an increase of more than 40 percent in freight volume.

This committee will play a needed role in helping the country prepare for its infrastructure needs in the coming years.