USDOT document addresses crossmodal technology policy

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao last week released a policy document meant to serve as a roadmap for crossmodal technology innovators to engage with the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).

Titled "Pathways to the Future of Transportation," the document was released a year after Chao announced the formation of the department's Non-Traditional and Emergency Transportation Technology (NETT) Council, an internal deliberative body to identify and resolve jurisdictional and regulatory gaps that may impede the deployment of new technologies, such as potential advances in tunneling and hyperloop.

The document "will help address legitimate public concerns about safety, security and privacy without hampering innovation," Chao said in a press release.

The document was designed to help private-sector innovators understand the purpose, structure and function of the NETT Council, lay out the principles guiding the department's policies toward transformative technologies, and deliver a high-level overview of the federal framework for supporting nontraditional and emerging technologies.

USDOT soon will post on the NETT Council's website a request for comment on the document.