2025 Autonomous Trucking Conference Set for September 15-16 in Grand Forks
Posted: Jul 8, 2025
The evolution of autonomous trucking in North Dakota and the Northern Plains will be the focus of a September 15 and 16 conference at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D.
The 2025 Autonomous Trucking Conference is organized by the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI) at North Dakota State University with support from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The conference will provide a forum for autonomous truck companies; tech entrepreneurs; motor carriers; safety enforcement personnel; the agricultural, energy, and manufacturing industries; state and local governments; and community leaders to share advances and discuss future opportunities and challenges for the technology’s implementation.
The conference will start at 1 p.m. on Monday, September 15, and conclude by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, September 16. A reception and networking opportunity will follow the program on Monday. Registration is free, and breakfast and lunch will be provided on Tuesday. For more details on the agenda and for information regarding hotel accommodations visit www.ugpti.org/events/atc/.
A similar conference in 2024 drew more than 100 participants to Bismarck. The 2025 conference will highlight the dynamic nature of autonomous trucking research and implementation. “We’ve seen rapid and significant changes in the autonomous trucking industry,” noted UGPTI Director Denver Tolliver. “Also, at this conference we expect to see greater involvement from autonomous trucking companies.”
Conference sessions will cover a range of topics, including the following:
How Do Autonomous Trucks Work? Autonomous vehicle experts will provide an overview of autonomous trucking technology, including sensors, algorithms, fault monitors, and remote operations. This conversation will separate autonomous trucking myths from reality and introduce the technology to all audiences. The session will be paired with an autonomous vehicle exhibit so that participants can observe the systems up close.
Developments in Autonomous Trucking in the United States. Autonomous trucking is growing and spreading across the southern and eastern United States. This dynamic industry is changing almost daily, with new users, customers, and routes coming online. While growth trends are apparent, many uncertainties remain. Different business models are being followed within the industry and the roles of original equipment manufacturers are in various stages of development. Additionally, autonomous truck developers and operators are faced with a variety of state policies and regulations and, until now, the federal government’s roles have not been formative. This panel of experts and industry leaders will explore key developments and trends in autonomous trucking from a variety of perspectives, including autonomous truck developers and tech firms, original equipment manufacturers, commercial motor carriers, and government.
State Perspectives on Autonomous Trucking. In the absence of specific federal regulations, each state is developing its own policies, creating variations and uncertainties for the trucking industry. This session will examine the roles and views of states in facilitating and overseeing autonomous truck services. A focus will be on creating a business and regulatory framework for success while reassuring the public through a level of transparency. A panel of state department of transportation leaders and technical specialists will describe current and planned approaches to autonomous trucking. Areas of difference and consensus will be highlighted.
Middle- and Last-Mile Autonomous Trucking. Deliveries of goods within business enterprises (e.g., business-to-business trucking) and last-mile deliveries of goods and inputs to communities and industries are a vital part of the autonomous trucking landscape. Freight is already being moved over the middle mile from manufacturing plants and central warehouses to distribution centers in autonomous trucks. Moreover, major retailers and logistics companies are delivering goods over the last mile from distribution facilities to supercenters in autonomous trucks. This panel of representatives from autonomous truck firms, logistics companies, and trucking service providers will describe current middle- and last-mile autonomous trucking services and future visions for how autonomous trucking can meet the needs of manufacturing, logistics, and retail industries while improving the reliability of services.
Challenges to Widespread and Year-Round Operations in Northern Regions. Many challenges remain before autonomous trucking can effectively penetrate rural areas in northern regions, which will require year-round operations over two-lane rural roads. These challenges include (1) operating and remotely monitoring autonomous trucks that must travel on two-lane rural roads and under extreme weather conditions, (2) the impacts of extreme cold on sensors and automated driving systems, (3) the implications of extreme winter conditions for safety inspections, and (4) change detection of operational conditions and appropriate responses. This session will highlight these and other challenges, existing and potential solutions, and ongoing research questions that will support expansion of autonomous trucking into rural and northern regions.
Enhanced Inspection Procedures for Autonomous Trucks. Inspection protocols are being finalized for autonomous trucks that will allow these vehicles to move efficiently between origin and destination while providing maximum safety assurances. A panel of safety experts will describe the forthcoming North American safety inspection procedures and protocols, highlight success stories from regional pilots, and describe a vision for a consistent approach that will allow autonomous trucks to operate seamlessly over the national highway network.
Interactions between Autonomous Trucks and First Responders. While autonomous trucks receive enhanced safety inspections at origin and destination, safety enforcement personnel may still need to interact with these vehicles enroute when responding to an emergency or an identified vehicle issue or issuing a citation. Moreover, recovery plans and procedures are necessary in situations where autonomous vehicles fail in a safe mode and must be retrieved along the roadside or other remote location. This panel of autonomous truck developers and safety experts will discuss the industry’s first-responder plans, procedures, and available trainings.
Insurance and Liability for Autonomous Vehicles. Autonomous trucks will be deployed across a range of business models, applications, and partnerships with different risk structures. Nonetheless, without a driver in the vehicle, traditional expectations for liability and insurance will need to change to enable this new driving paradigm. This discussion will cover current leading knowledge and industry practices regarding insurance and liability for autonomous vehicles.
Applications of Autonomous Trucks (Agriculture, Mining, Energy, Yards, Logging, and More). Autonomous trucks have widespread applications, including agriculture, mining, energy, logging, and yard operations, with new applications emerging regularly. As the technology continues to develop, autonomous trucking companies and their partners are identifying new applications that can benefit from driverless operations. This panel will cover a range of these current and potential applications, considerations for integration, and opportunities for growth or expansion in these domains.
Engagement, Education, and Workforce Development. While much of the autonomous truck development focuses on the vehicle itself, there are many other stakeholders involved in the process of their operation and deployment, including policymakers, technology integrators, emergency responders, and the workforce. To effectively deploy autonomous trucks, all of these stakeholders must provide input into the deployment process and receive education on the necessary skills and information. This session will offer perspectives on engaging with stakeholders across the autonomous vehicle landscape in order to inform policymakers, educate the public, and develop a technical workforce.
Projecting the Next Decade of Autonomous Trucking. Autonomous trucking has changed rapidly over the past decade and is reaching a critical inflection point in 2025, where the first companies are beginning commercial driverless operations on public highways. In the next decade, companies will focus on scale and expansion while continuing to develop their driving systems to support these goals. This discussion with experts and industry leaders will provide a forward-looking view of autonomous trucking, including the expected growth in the industry, and the steps new and interested stakeholders can take to prepare themselves for that growth.