The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s proposed program for autonomous vehicles drew criticism for its lack of mandatory reporting requirements.
A little more than a year later, the agency announced that it is scrapping the program.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, one of the original critics, applauded the move but also called for a federal framework that prioritizes safety.
Withdraw of AV STEP Program
NHTSA issued a 2025 notice proposing a voluntary framework for evaluating and overseeing motor vehicles equipped with automated driving systems. The Autonomous Vehicle Safety, Transparency and Evaluation Program (AV STEP) would be established “with the goal of improving public transparency related to the safety of certain autonomous driving system-equipped vehicles, while allowing for responsible development of this technology.”
The program quickly drew criticism from such groups as OOIDA, the Truck Safety Coalition and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
On Friday, June 26, the agency announced that it plans to go in a different direction.
“The comments revealed that neither industry stakeholders, who viewed the program as overly burdensome for a voluntary initiative, nor safety advocates, labor unions and others, who argued the program was insufficient because it lacked mandatory requirements, felt the proposal would accomplish its objectives of stimulating participation while ensuring an appropriate level of safety oversight,” NHTSA wrote in the notice.
NHTSA said it believes the goals of AV STEP will be better served by other initiatives the agency anticipates will advance safety and promote the innovation of ADS technologies.
“The agency is certainly right to withdraw the AV STEP program,” said Jay Grimes, OOIDA’s director of federal affairs. “The voluntary structure of AV STEP would not have implemented the necessary transparency and safety oversight of autonomous vehicles currently operating on our nation’s roads. Unfortunately, USDOT has not yet proposed any meaningful alternative to better ensure that consumers, industry stakeholders and regulators understand the actual reliability and performance of autonomous technology, especially self-driving commercial trucks. We urge USDOT to pursue a federal framework that prioritizes adherence to proven safety requirements, independent validation, and full transparency before allowing driverless heavy‑duty trucks onto our highways.”
Other critics
When NHTSA introduced the proposed program in 2025, OOIDA was not alone in criticizing the lack of mandatory reporting.
“The motoring public needs more reliable and independently vetted information to feel comfortable (with) ADS vehicles,” wrote Zach Cahalan of the Truck Safety Coalition. “Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety commissioned a public opinion poll on the topic of driverless cars and trucks and nearly 9 out of 10 respondents reported being “deeply troubled” by the prospect of sharing the road with these vehicles. The burden is on ADS manufacturers and interested carriers to prove to the public and DOT that this technology can work safely at scale.”
The North Carolina DOT criticized that lack of a mandate and also asked for more clarity on the role of states.
“It is unclear from the AV STEP proposal how NHTSA defines the role of the states in regulating the operation of motor vehicles on public roadways by computer drivers,” the state agency wrote. “NHTSA could provide greater clarity on the role of states in regulating the computer driver where the ADS partially or fully replaces the human driver.”
Unleashing AVs
Although the program is going away, it doesn’t mean the end of the road for autonomous vehicles.
The administration has said that it wants to “unleash American ingenuity.”
On the same day NHTSA announced the end of the AV STEP program, it issued a proposal to end the federal requirement for manual brake pedals in self-driving vehicles. LL
Credit: Source link
