With a new leader of the U.S. Department of Commerce in place, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is hopeful steps will be taken to address national security concerns involving heavy-duty trucks.
On Tuesday, Feb. 18, the Senate voted 51-45 to confirm Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary.
OOIDA quickly congratulated Lutnick on his confirmation and offered to help the Department of Commerce as it moves toward a final rule involving connected vehicle components on commercial motor vehicles.
“OOIDA and the 150,000 small-business truckers we represent congratulate Secretary Howard Lutnick on his confirmation to lead the U.S. Department of Commerce,” Association President Todd Spencer said. “We look forward to continue engaging with his department as it moves forward with a rule to address the ‘grave’ national security threats to America posed by connected commercial vehicles with components originating in China and Russia. We anticipate a productive dialogue with the Bureau of Industry and Security to ensure the future rule thoroughly responds to the public safety concerns of driverless 80,000-pound trucks.”
Connected vehicles
Last year, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security started a rulemaking to address security risks involving the import of connected vehicles or components from the People’s Republic of China and Russia.
The agency said that certain technologies originating from China or Russia present an undue or unacceptable risk to U.S. national security.
“It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to think of how foreign government with access to connected vehicles could pose a serious risk to both our national security and the personal privacy of U.S. citizens,” former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said.
Considering the potential threats involving cars and commercial motor vehicles, the rulemaking was fast-tracked, and a final rule was submitted on Jan. 16. However, the final rule no longer included heavy vehicles. Instead, it applied only to vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less.
Alarmingly, heavy vehicles weren’t excluded due to a lack of a cybersecurity threat. On the contrary, the agency described the threat to commercial vehicles as “grave.”
“The national security risks associated with (connected vehicles from China or Russia) are grave, and (the) decision to exclude commercial vehicles from this rulemaking in no way implies that these risks are lesser than in the passenger vehicle market,” the Bureau of Industry and Security wrote in the Jan. 16 notice. “Rather, (the agency) intends to propose a separate regulation tailored to the commercial sector in the coming months.”
It is worth noting that the final rule was issued in the final days of the Biden administration, and it is unclear how the Trump administration plans to address concerns involving heavy-duty connected vehicles.
OOIDA comments
OOIDA told the agency that cybersecurity threats involving autonomous and other connected vehicles must be taken seriously. In its comments filed in October 2024, OOIDA added that there must be more oversight of autonomous vehicles.
“OOIDA has raised safety and cybersecurity concerns regarding the development of autonomous vehicles as the technology has been deployed in recent years,” the Association wrote. “We believe this Department of Commerce proposal can help implement necessary federal oversight for autonomous vehicle safety and protect private personal and vehicle information.” LL
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