Quarterhill discusses transport modernization as U.S. marks 70 years of federal highways

The National Highway System. Source: Mark Sarmiento, U.S. Department of Transportation, ArcGIS Online

On June 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act. It authorized the creation of a network that today carries nearly 25% of U.S. automotive traffic and moves trillions of dollars of freight annually. Quarterhill Inc. is among the companies now working to digitize that transport infrastructure.

Seventy years after the 41,000-mi. (65,983.1 km) interstate network was launched, 72.2 million Americans will travel around Independence Day this week, according to AAA. Concerns include aging roads and bridges, securing and managing freight, and improving safety as fleets of autonomous vehicles ( AVs ) grow.

Founded in 1992 as a wireless technology company, Quarterhill said it is a leader in the intelligent transportation system (ITS) industry, advancing mobility through smart infrastructure systems to reduce congestion, improve roadway safety, and create more sustainable travel.

The Toronto-based company said its AI platforms process billions of transactions, perform inspections on millions of commercial vehicles, and enable transportation agencies worldwide to optimize travel in thousands of lanes of traffic.

Tyler Haichert, director of ITS product at Quarterhill, replied to the following questions from The Robot Report :

How are fleets of autonomous trucks and other vehicles spreading across the U.S., and how does that compare with other nations?

Haichert: The U.S. is becoming one of the most active environments for autonomous freight, in large part because companies have been able to test and deploy the technology in defined commercial corridors while policymakers continue developing the regulatory framework. That has helped accelerate real-world testing and commercial deployment.

Companies such as Kodiak and Aurora are already running commercial corridors, and that’s the result of an ecosystem that allowed technology to prove itself before enforcing rules that might have constrained it.

Other regions, including parts of Europe , have taken a “regulate first, deploy second” approach. There’s logic to that model, but it comes at a cost. The U.S. is gaining operational experience and data at a pace that’s hard to replicate when technology is waiting on policy direction.

What are some of the potential benefits of self-driving vehicles, and what problems still need to be addressed?