Kodiak Robotics' autonomous truck piloted the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Enhanced Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspection Standard (Enhanced Inspections) program.
The enhanced inspections require a CVSA-certified inspector to conduct an inspection, which is then valid for a 24-hour period. The truck will communicate the outcome of the inspection along with other safety information to roadside enforcement officers. Trucks that follow the approved process will not be subject to routine inspections at weight stations and other sites.
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Kodiak, Drivewyze and the Texas Department of Public Safety launched the initiative. Kodiak inputs the results of each enhanced inspection into Drivewyze, which then communicates a sample safety data message set to Texas roadside enforcement officials. Kodiak, Drivewyze and regulators are hoping to expand the program to other states.
"Traditional roadside inspections rely on assistance from the driver, and a common question we get is how autonomous trucks will handle highway weigh station inspections," says Don Burnette, Kodiak's founder and CEO. "This program shows how law enforcement and autonomous vehicle developers can partner to ensure extremely high safety and maintenance standards for self-driving trucks. We are thankful to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and Drivewyze for demonstrating that the recently developed commercial vehicle inspections solution for autonomous trucks can be implemented using existing frameworks and infrastructure.
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Also helping in the inspections process was the American Trucking Association Technology and Maintenance Council Autonomous Truck Inspections and Enforcement Task Force.
"Kodiak has always had an eye on the future and we congratulate them on this major step forward as the first autonomous truck company to pilot the enhanced inspections concept in Texas," says Drivewyze CEO Brian Heath. "Autonomous vehicles represent a significant change to roadside enforcement and we are proud to support Texas DPS and Kodiak in rising to the challenge. To maximize future adoption, it is important that state agencies continue to leverage their existing roadside systems to meet the needs of the emerging AV market."
