Goal

This Commercial Motor Vehicle Roadside Technology Corridor (CMVRTC) project will conduct real-world incident data analysis to better characterize the importance of the parameters in each test vector developed in Phase 1. These test vectors were developed to focus on the scenarios that an automated vehicle would need to navigate to demonstrate that it can safely cover that in its operational design domain (ODD). The ODD is defined by a set of conditions, including environmental, geographical, time of day, and other conditions. Traffic and roadway characteristics are included. Manufacturers use ODD to indicate where/how their product operates safely. A given system may operate differently according to the immediate ODD.

Summary

Currently, automated commercial vehicle development efforts are focusing on improving safety through accurate sensing of the environment and control of the vehicle to reduce the probability of a collision. However, the safety of an autonomous vehicle (AV) is much more complex than simply avoiding collisions with other vehicles. To accomplish this, we will develop the sensing suite requirements needed to successfully navigate the test vectors specified in Phase I. This would also include the assessment of sensing suites available in key market entrants to create an expectation of performance against the test vectors. We will also develop a preliminary inspection and maintenance requirements plan aligned with the AV supplier specified ODD and sensing suites. This would include a “where/when” analysis that would inform FMCSA on the spatial (regional locations) and temporal (both seasonal and priority order) inspection and maintenance practices that will be needed. Understanding how these vehicles perform in their expected (and perhaps, unexpected) ODDs will lead to refinement of inspection and maintenance procedures.

Impacts

The primary impacts of this phase will support a comprehensive, multi-year research initiative to systematically inform FMCSA on:

• Certification procedures essential for the deployment of AVs in a comprehensive development of AV test vectors. This process is designed to validate the vehicle's capabilities across a diverse array of operating conditions.
• Inspection protocols are formulated with the objective of ensuring the roadworthiness of AVs. These protocols aim to assess whether a vehicle, initially certified for a specific set of spatial/temporal operating conditions, remains capable of performing to those specifications.
• Standardized practices to enable graceful failures in AVs. This seeks to promote consistent and common behaviors in the face of critical system sensing, actuation, and control failure modes.
• It will also lead to the development of a tool that will allow hardware from automated systems to be tested in a simulated environment.