From the Executive Director
Hello from Team PAVE! We hope you’re having a wonderful fall. We’re just wrapping up a busy season of events, and we’re planning exciting new initiatives for 2025. Below are some highlights of our recent happenings and upcoming plans.
Reach out to me if you’d like to collaborate with PAVE. We are always excited to partner on AV education!
Past & Upcoming Events
- JULY 29 – PAVE led two breakout sessions at the ARTS conference
- AUG 5-8 – Center for Automotive Research MBS conference (PAVE presenter)
- SEPT 9 – GHSA Annual Meeting and launch of PSA, “Who’s Driving?” (PAVE panelist)
- SEPT 16-18 – Women in Mobility Symposium (PAVE Chair)
- SEPT 24-25 – MOVE America 2024 (PAVE Speaker)
- OCT 5-6 – AV Weekend at the Texas State Fair (PAVE + Member Exhibit)
- OCT 9 – PAVE Annual Member Meeting + Networking Reception
- OCT 16 – AV Listening Session with Teamsters (PAVE Organizer)
- NOV 10-13 – Accelerate! Women in Trucking Conference (PAVE Moderator)
- DEC 3-4 – AV Safety InfoShare Workshop (PAVE Organizer)
- JAN 8 – AV Roundtable at CES (PAVE Organizer)
Recap: AV Weekend at the Texas State Fair
PAVE and members Aurora, Plus, and Torc exhibited at the Texas State Fair on October 5-6 for a first-of-its-kind Autonomous Trucking Weekend. Leaders from the Texas Department of Transportation also joined us for conversations on the importance of public-private partnerships in successful AV deployments.
All three companies brought autonomous cabs to the exhibit, and we enjoyed talking with the public about what autonomous trucks will mean for Texas.
US AV Jobs Coalition
PAVE and a broad coalition of public and private sector partners launched the US AV Jobs Coalition this summer. The coalition aims to share research on the AV workforce, job opportunities, educational programs, training partnerships, and more.
We launched the coalition in a breakout session at the TRB ARTS conference this summer. Stay tuned for a full slate of AV workforce events in 2025!
Recap: AV Listening Session with Teamsters
Earlier this month, CTA, PAVE, and K&L Gates held an in-person listening session with Cole Scandaglia from the Teamsters to discuss priorities for AV policy.
CTA hosted the session at their Innovation House, moderated by Sam Loesche, Head of Policy at Waabi.
PAVE Virtual Panels
PAVE has continued its series of award-winning virtual panels, raising diverse voices in conversations about our transportation future.
All of our panels are free and open to the public. If you miss them live, the recordings are all available on demand. Catch up on recent panels covering legal frameworks, workforce development, pedestrian safety, and more!
PSA: “Who’s Driving?”
Earlier this fall, PAVE and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation released a PSA titled “Who’s Driving?” The spot aims to educate the public on a critical safety message: an attentive driver is required in all vehicles for sale today, even when using sophisticated ADAS technology.
We’d love your help in sharing this critical safety message. Visit whoisdriving.org to watch the PSA and download resources.
2025 PAVE Essay Contest & Scholarship Program
We are currently planning our third annual PAVE Essay Contest & Scholarship Program, which will be open to high school students in Texas.
TxDOT has agreed to sponsor the contest, and we are finalizing corporate sponsors who provide college scholarship funding to the winning students. More details will be forthcoming!
Public-Private Sector Roundtable at CES
PAVE is partnering with CTA to convene experts from the public and private sectors for an AV roundtable at CES on January 8, 2025.
If you plan to be in town, join us for the session, which will cover hot topics including AVs and AI, AV regulation, and AV workforce development.
Catch Up on the PAVECast
PAVE’s podcast — The PAVEcast — includes conversations with AV leaders across all sectors. Recent episodes include a chat with leaders from Texas DOT live from the Texas State Fair and a conversation with former NHTSA Administrator Dr. Ricardo Martinez.
You can subscribe to the PAVEcast on your favorite podcast platform!
