The transportation sector is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the rapid development of new technologies and data sources. From autonomous vehicles and smart mobility platforms, to artificial intelligence (AI) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies, these innovations are reshaping the way people and goods move.
Below, we’re breaking down five key technology and data trends in the transportation industry:
#1 Road user charging,
#2 Zero-emission transportation fleets,
#3 Smart cities,
#4 V2X communication technology, and
#5 Big data and data sharing
You’ll also find tips and additional resources for meeting these trends with agility, innovation, and strategic foresight. Let’s get started.
Road User Charging: The next frontier for tolling agencies
Road user charging (RUC) is at the forefront of transportation funding innovations thanks to its ability to more accurately align costs with usage, by charging drivers based on the distance traveled rather than the fuel consumed. As traditional fuel tax revenues decline with the rise of fuel-efficient vehicles and EVs, tolling agencies are increasingly drawn to the RUC model. Why? It guarantees more consistent, equally distributed, and adaptable funding streams, even as the automotive landscape evolves to push traditional fuel off the road.
Despite the weakness of a per-gallon gas tax, the implementation of the RUC model presents several challenges. The required tracking of vehicles raises privacy and data security concerns, and the associated technological and administrative demands are significant. This includes everything from the installation of tracking devices to the development of 
new billing frameworks.
Legacy ways of working—like manual odometer readings, for example—could assuage public concerns around privacy. But holding onto outdated processes would ultimately limit a tolling agency’s ability to take RUC to scale. Automation powered by advanced technology is simply a prerequisite to delivering the dynamic upsides of the RUC approach.
How transportation agencies can prepare: To harness the substantial benefits of the RUC model, tolling agencies should tackle technological integration challenges to ensure interoperability across state lines and existing toll systems, while establishing clear regulatory frameworks to govern operations and protect privacy. RUC’s success hinges on robust technology and data architectures, as well as transformed workforce capabilities. We share strategies for achieving both in our three-part series, “Elevating Experiences with Modern Data & Systems.”
Zero-Emission Transportation Fleets: Capturing the win-win
In response to growing concerns about sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions, agencies are embracing the use of zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) fleets. These battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles significantly reduce tailpipe emissions, reliance on fossil fuel sources, and even noise pollution.
ZEVs also have fewer moving parts and require less maintenance, contributing to lower operating costs, and their widespread adoption is projected to create new jobs in manufacturing, infrastructure development, and maintenance.
It’s a win-win for transportation agencies, right? The answer is yes, but not without connected capital and workforce investment strategies.
How transportation agencies can prepare: Capturing the many benefits of a ZEV fleet requires a capital investment strategy and a workforce transformation strategy to account for:
- Significant initial investments in infrastructure upgrades and EV charging stations.
- Limitations in terms of EV range and battery recharge times.
- Skills required to operate, maintain, and schedule a ZEV fleet.
- Robust emissions tracking to ensure sustainability compliance.
Our blog, “Leadership in Limbo,” offers skilling insights to help leaders level-up their workforce and effectively manage and optimize ZEV fleets for a sustainable future.
Smart Cities: Building the foundation for smart city technology
No longer just science-fiction fodder, smart cities are using advanced technologies, like AI and V2X, to build networks, enhance connectivity, and harness open data to ease congestion with optimized routing. 
The result? People and goods get where they’re going faster, safer, and with a reduced environmental footprint.
How transportation agencies can prepare: Smart cities require more than advanced technology. Two of the greatest challenges associated with smart city solutions according to a 2019 survey from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)—poor coordination across departments and a lack of standards—can be overcome with a holistic, people-focused approach that connects and aligns city leaders and citizens. North Highland experts explain why it’s critical to keep people at the heart and share tips for modernization success in the two-part blog series, “Conquering Complex Data & Systems Modernization: The Power of Holistic Planning, and Your Guide to Governance.”
V2X Communication Technology: A direct route to increased safety and efficiency
In the dynamic landscape of modern transportation, V2X technology has emerged as a promising tool for the real-time management of traffic flow. Vehicle-to-Everything communication technology, more commonly referred to as V2X, refers to a wireless network that seamlessly connects vehicles with various entities, including mobile phones, roadside devices, and the vehicles around them. This interconnected ecosystem is an aspect of an intertwined intelligent transportation system (ITS), which combines V2X communications with technology like AI and smart traffic management systems (STMS) to further enhance safety, mobility, and efficiency in transportation.
In Portland, Oregon, Tri-Met recently implemented an AI- and V2X-supported TSP system that saves riders time with real-time traffic signal alteration. Tri-Met’s integration of V2X technology with AI illustrates the way forward: Broader implementation and integration of emerging technologies into data and analytics systems in ways that empower data-driven decision making. Other promising implementations include:
- For bus operators, V2X sensors can continuously monitor driver awareness and swiftly detect and alert drivers to potential threats far faster than human reflexes allow.
- When V2X technology is broadly integrated with AI enhancements and ATMSs, public transit agencies can leverage real-time traffic updates to reroute vehicles and improve operations of TSP systems for bus-triggered traffic signals.
- V2X technology can be used in conjunction with ATMSs to re-route vehicles away from congested zones.
How transportation agencies can prepare: In the U.S., V2X deployment is slated to peak in 2030, with the top 75 metro areas projected to have 85 percent of their signalized intersections V2X-enabled. Transportation agencies should be working now to develop the technological infrastructure and strategic plans needed to facilitate the national interoperability, maintenance, funding, and regulatory compliance required for successful V2X deployment. Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) can help achieve these goals by aligning investments, resources, and initiatives.
Check out these resources to learn more about how SPM and more specifically, our proprietary software NH360, can help agencies achieve synergy amid evolving trends like V2X deployment.
Big Data and Data Sharing: Unleashing data with AI
While various forms of AI have been deployed in the transportation sector for decades, recent advances in computer processing speeds and digital cloud memory storage herald a new age of AI. Industry leaders are taking notice and leveraging AI and machine learning to meet strategic goals. Today, all eyes are on AI’s potential to harness shared data.
When connected to big data, AI has the potential to unleash massive safety and efficiency improvements. Public transportation agencies are already widely using a host of real-time and near-real-time data collection devices, and recent smart city policies have enabled more cross-agency and cross-entity data sharing.
How transportation agencies can prepare: The most significant hurdle to realizing the benefits of big data and data sharing involves AI’s massive energy requirements. In just two years, the power consumption of AI graphics processing units (GPUs) jumped by 75 percent. For public transit agencies striving to reduce their energy use, current AI power demands must be thoughtfully weighed against environmental goals.
We recently published a field guide with solutions for navigating today’s social and regulatory pressures—including evolving demand for ESG initiatives. Read it here.
Prerequisites for Advanced Tech Gains: A holistic roadmap for the journey ahead
The potential gains these trends suggest—of safety, efficiency, sustainability, and more—are only tempered the prerequisites of modernized data collection and governance systems, upskilled workforces, data privacy and protection, and funding.
Transportation agencies can prepare for change now by establishing a holistic vision for the future, one built around enterprise data management to fuel smart tech and data integration, and continuous workforce and technological transformation to secure the skills and capabilities they’ll need on the road ahead.
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