Technology

PHOENIX — With just eight months remaining until the federal electronic logging mandate goes into effect, fleets that still rely on paper driver logs soon will need to make the transition to e-logs, but that process involves much more than simply installing a device in a truck.

Autonomous vehicles need to drive and drive and drive, vacuuming up hours of real-life encounters on the road to make their algorithms smarter and safer.

A driverless truck passed a navigation test in China last week and its manufacturer, FAW Jiefang Automotive Co., said it plans to commercialize the vehicle as early as next year, the Asia News Network reported.

A once-popular idea to equip cars with technology to communicate with one another and avoid collisions is encountering unexpected potholes in Washington.

Companies that rent trucks are still grappling with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration over how the agency’s forthcoming electronic logging device mandate will apply to vehicles available for short-term rental. The firms are looking for a government decision in late June.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s testing and deployment of connected and autonomous vehicle technologies would be enhanced by additional federal dollars, a group of senators recently told their colleagues on a transportation funding panel.