WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee's Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines and Safety Subcommittee held a hearing on transportation safety technology on Tuesday. The hearing took place as Congress continues work on a five-year surface transportation reauthorization measure.
Sen. Todd Young cited autonomous vehicles, train inspection portals, and vehicle-to-everything technology as recent transportation innovations. "Over the past decade, we’ve seen a rise in innovative technologies that require us to reimagine how our transportation networks operate," Young said. "We’re often slow at the federal level when it comes to expanding proven technologies past the pilot program stage," he added.
Witnesses at the subcommittee hearing included Ian Jefferies, Chris Spear, Laura Chace, and Cole Scandaglia. Jefferies, President and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, discussed concerns about operating requirements. "I think that leads to a bigger question about locking in current operating requirements without any evidence to prove that those requirements result in a higher safety outcome," Jefferies said. "If we can’t draw a direct line to a positive safety outcome, we shouldn’t be doing things, and I think that’s why so many different groups outside of railroads, such as the coal industry, such as the ag industry, have expressed serious concerns about some of these proposals," he said.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a highway bill markup last month by a 62-2 vote. This markup requires additional input from the House Ways and Means Committee before a floor vote can occur.
A rail safety amendment was introduced to the House highway bill and adopted by a 54-11 vote in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The amendment would require freight rail carriers to install trackside hot box detectors to monitor wheel-bearing temperatures. The provision mirrors a bill authored by Vice President JD Vance following the 2023 East Palestine train derailment.
The House highway bill includes a section directing the Transportation Department to develop performance-based safety standards for commercial vehicles utilizing autonomous technology. The Senate has not yet released its version of the surface transportation bill.
The House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment by a 33-26 vote last week during a markup of the fiscal 2027 Transportation-HUD spending bill. The amendment prohibits funding for driver impairment detection technology, which had been authorized in the 2021 infrastructure law. Sen. Ben Ray Luján argued that the debate over impairment detection technology is unrelated to privacy. "In the early 1990s, I was hit head-on by a drunk driver less than half a mile from my house, and I walked away from the [expletive]. Not all my constituents can say that," Luján said. "It might make things a little more expensive to purchase a vehicle, but what happens if there’s technology in the car that saves your kid, saves your mom or dad, saves your brother or sister. We can do that in America today," he said. "That’s not what this is about. Let’s find a way in America where we can drive innovation and save people’s lives. I don’t know why this is so hard," Luján added. "I’m beside myself this morning as we come together. Let’s find a way to do something, man. Let’s save some people," he said.