Category Archives: regulatory trend

Executive Branch Trend. Engage Private Business. Give them State Data. Get Transportation Improvements in Return.

The State: Virginia

The goal of the public-private partnership:  “optimizing opportunities for innovative collaboration and investment in Virginia’s transportation system”

The data shared with the private sector: 22 different data sets, with initial data sets including traffic volumes, speed limits, travel advisories, lane closures, crashes, truck restrictions, traffic sensors, incidents, sign messages and locations, paving schedules, short- and long-term weather events, the Six-Year…

No Regulation TREND. 5 Reasons Self Driving Cars Thriving in Hot Weather & No Regulation. A Win for Anarchy.

Self Driving Car Companies are flooding the rain free Arizona desert, here’s why:

  • The rain free, sunny weather, is ideal for self driving car vehicle sensors
  • Arizona has no self driving car regulations
  • Arizona has calm traffic
  • Arizona has “pretty good” roads
  • The one government act on self-driving cars in Arizona is that “Governor Doug Ducey signed an executive order in 2015 requiring his underlings to “undertake any necessary steps to support the testing and operation of self-driving…

Regulatory Trend. State DOT. Bridges. Earthquakes. Procurement Opportunity.

OKlahoma Department of Transportation is using ShakeCast to chart bridghe inspections following an earthquake.

Oklahoma has seen a rise in the numnber of and intesity of earthquakes in recent years.

THe next step is to contract with Infrastructure Engineers to help the OK DOT develop a earthquake response protocol.

Equipment World | Oklahoma DOT using ShakeCast to develop bridge inspection protocol following earthquakes

Anatomy of a MultiState Connected Car Coalition. 3 Policy Areas of Focus.

Michigan, Ohio & Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation have joined forces with universities to focus on automated and connected vehicle initiative.

3 Target Research Areas to Guide Policy Decisions:

  • Connected and automated applications in work zones
  • Commercial freight opportunities in testing, including platooning (connecting more than one vehicle) and potential coordination on interstates. (
    • Bonjour, TAMU’s freight project at the Houston Port.
  • Incident management to improve…

State Reg. Trend. Smart Roads. The Numbers behind the trend.

Delaware DOT is partnering with agencies, automobile manufacturers and technology companies, and network segmentation to fine tune smart roads. The test road- a restretch of I-95.

Why the rush to start testing smart roads?

  • 220 million connected cars will be on the road by 2020
  • 3/4 of the 92 million cars shipped globally with have connectivity
  • 62% of consumers say hackers will breach connected cars

State Tech | The Connected Vehicle Revolution Makes Cybersecurity Top of Mind

Regulatory Trend. How one state is directing charging stations

State: Minnesota

How is Minnesota trying to direct charging stations for EV cars? By guiding private investment

What state action furthered the guiding of private investment?

  • MN partnered with WI, IL, IN, MI and the city of Detroit to designate a stretch of Interstate 94 the “Great Lakes Zero Emission Corridor”
  • the Zero Emission Corridor led to MN DOT erecting signs highlighting nearby electric charging options.

Star Tribune | With more electric cars coming, Minnesota officials consider…

TREND. Self Driving Car laws. Federal Regulator says states should chill & look to this federal law for drafting inspiration.

Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Maureen K. Ohlhausen, said lawmakers should:

  • ease up on self driving car laws
  • and if we’re protecting consumer information when it comes to self driving and connected cars, lawmakers should look to HIPPA as a drafting example

Why the call for caution? because too many different self driving car laws and rules will:

  • create unnecessary or duplicative regulation
  • innovation could slow or stop
  • ultimately consumers could be worse off.

SC Media | FTC chair…

TREND. Failed Bill Leads to Regulatory Negotiation for Direct Sales. Case Study.

North Carolina Legislature failed to pass a bill for the direct sales of automobiles, because of opposition not from dealers but from auto manufacturers.

Lemons were turned into organic, naturally sweetened organic lemonaide.

Tesla and North Carolina’s Department of Motor Vehicles are negotiating a compromise to allow for 6 direct sales locations.

Electrek | Tesla’s direct-sale bill is shelved in North Carolina