In the beginning of September 2026, USDOT released its agency wide, national strategy for automated vehicles. The document maintains an attitude towards automated vehicles previously expressed by the Administration: viewing regulations as a key component in unlocking innovation. The document also highlights the viewpoint that human driven vehicles will continue to exist alongside automated vehicles. The new AV National Strategy supersedes previous national strategies on autonomous vehicles released during the first Trump Administration. The strategy also indicated that USDOT is developing updated voluntary guidance documents, including providing guidance on remote assistance and interactions with emergency responders.

The national strategy highlights four goals: prioritize safety, provide regulatory certainty, promote American innovation, and facilitate interoperable corridors. The first of these three goals are nearly identical to NHTSA’s AV framework’s principles: prioritize safety, unleash innovation, and enable commercial deployment. The additional objective of facilitating interoperable corridors in the new strategy is aligned with USDOT’s America’s Great Corridors of Commerce (AGCC) effort, focused on utilizing highway corridors as a physical pathway for utility infrastructure and intelligent transportation systems.

The document views regulatory certainty and safety standards as working towards and supportive of American innovation and leadership in autonomous vehicle deployments. For example, according to NHTSA, safe deployments and clear regulation will enable the unlocking of wider adoption and safety benefits. After highlighting NHTSA’s efforts to develop performance standards for ADS as a part of its goal of providing regulatory certainty, the document states, “These standards will provide minimum requirements for the deployment of AVs on public roads and further assure public trust in the technology.”

In regard to the goal of promoting American innovation, the document highlights USDOT efforts to ensure access to international markets and continuing international investment in domestic autonomous vehicle companies. In addition to ensuring international market access, the strategy acknowledges the importance of domestic labor buy-in, stating that workforce changes will be likely and workforce transition support should be provided. The final objective of facilitating interoperable corridors points to an emerging need for interstate coordination, stating that DOT will work to convene states to corridor level data sharing and protocols.

The document highlights the roles of the modal administrations within USDOT engaged in autonomous vehicle work. While NHTSA and FMCSA are key players in the regulation of passenger and freight vehicle standards, FHWA, FTA, PHMSA, and OST play important roles in research, demonstration, rulemaking, and stakeholder engagement activities within their respective jurisdictions. The strategy summarizes existing efforts towards its goals, primarily conducted by NHTSA, including modernization of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Systems regulations, FMVSS exemptions, conducting investigations and recalls, streamlining of the standing general order crash reporting requirements, amending the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, revising Hazardous Materials Regulations, and the development of minimum performance standards.

The strategy operates under the existing regulatory paradigm of vehicle standards being set at the federal level, operational standards set at the state level, and enforcement at the local and state level. The strategy does not explicitly advocate for nor assume that federal legislation will be passed harmonizing the state-by-state patchwork of legislation. Instead, the strategy affirms the continued role of the federal government. Increased coordination activities and the development of new guidance documents and performance standards will provide federal level leadership without state preemption. “NHTSA and other DOT Operating Administrations seek to establish Federal leadership in overseeing national AV deployments, while respecting traditional State authority over rules of the road and relying on State enforcement resources to address traffic law enforcements.”

In early September, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also submitted its annual report to Congress on its autonomous vehicle rulemaking and research activities. It also highlighted the role of the agency as a convenor, as emphasized in the national strategy, including hosting the National Automated Vehicle Safety Forum, a virtual event bringing together state and local governments, and the International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles. The agency is also continuing research into crashworthiness and human factors impacts of alternative designs, subsystem testing, and is working to develop methods and metrics for assessment of system-level performance.

Both the national AV strategy and NHTSA’s report to Congress indicated the importance of ensuring US companies continue to lead in the global market, especially as deployments in Asia and Europe continue to advance. In June, the United Nation’s vehicle-standards forum voted to approve the Global Technical Regulation for Automated Driving Systems. This regulation will require automated driving systems to meet or exceed the performance of a competent human driver. To meet these standards, the rule calls for in-vehicle monitoring, storage of safety data, a structured safety case, a safety management system, and credible testing requirements. Major national players in the global autonomous vehicle industry have signed onto the agreement, including the US and China, opening the door for approval of an automated driving system in one country to potentially enable deployments in other countries. NHTSA highlighted its participation and approval of the UN’s Global Technical Regulation for Automated Driving Systems in its latest report to Congress.

In 2022, the European Union established a regulation for EU type-approval based on technical and procedural standards. Manufacturers have not pursued EU type-approval yet. While the standards will enable cross-border safety standards approval for the vehicle, operators must still receive national and sometimes local level approval to operate in different member countries. China’s latest regulatory update to take effect in July 2027 for autonomous vehicles is aligned with the safety components of the UN regulation but provides specified requirements for Level 3 and Level 4 systems. China’s regulatory update also includes requirements for standardized test scenarios in the research and development phases.

The regulatory structure was developed in collaboration with 18 manufacturers including domestic such as BYD and foreign including BMV, Nissan, and Volkswagen. In the United Kingdom, under the Automated Vehicles Act of 2024, autonomous vehicle operators must receive a permit from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and then must receive approval to operate commercially from Transport for London. While driver-in operations of autonomous vehicles have begun in the UK under an interim regulation, full permitting of non-driver deployments is not anticipated until 2027, and Transport for London is still in the process of developing guidance for operations.

The release of the new national strategy in the U.S. alongside international developments highlights that many global leaders in the AV industry are figuring out performance and safety standards as deployments are starting to occur or “building the plane while flying.” Progress by the United Nations to develop shared baseline vehicle safety standards indicates the desire by nations to break into each other markets with some level of regulatory certainty and shared safety expectations. However, this does not mean that there will immediately be a free flow of autonomous vehicles across borders. As seen in the United States and in the European Union, national and local operating standards will continue to shape autonomous vehicle developments.

As US companies start to enter international markets, they are still working to develop trust domestically. The US’ new AV strategy emphasizes the federal government’s viewpoint that ensuring public trust in safety will be key to promoting industry. While the federal government cannot preempt states, it is working towards greater regulatory certainty around the development and performance of autonomous vehicles. The strategy also indicates that USDOT may take on a greater role within its coordination capacity to try to resolve key concerns around labor transition and emergency response.