DOT to Host Self-Driving Vehicle Talk with Google Expert
The U.S. Department of Transportation will host a talk on self-driving vehicles with the director of Google’s Self-Driving Car Program, Chris Urmson.

Chris Urmson Photo: U.S. DOT

Chris UrmsonPhoto: U.S. DOT
The U.S. Department of Transportation is hosting a talk about self-driving vehicles with the director of Google’s self-drving car program, Chris Urmson.
The event, titled, Realizing Self-Driving Vehicles, will take place on Dec. 1 from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. EST at the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Mass. The event will also be broadcast online as a webinar for those who would like to join in remotely.
Urmso, leads Google’s self-driving car effort, which has so far driven vehicles more than 1 million miles. Prior to working at Google, he was on the faculty of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. There he researched motion planning and perception for robotic vehicles.
At Carnegie Mellon, he worked with "house-sized trucks," drove robots around in deserts and served as director of technology for the team that won the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge.
To attend in person at the Volpe Center, RVSP to Ellen Bell, Director of Strategic Initiatives for Research and Innovation at ellen.bell@dot.gov.
To participate in the webinar, register online here.
More Safety

Top 50 Executive Fleets
It is that time of year again! Time for the 2026 list of the Top 50 Executive Fleets, presented by Automotive Fleet and Volvo as part of its annual Fleet 500. Download now to see this year's list of companies!
Read More →How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
Operation Safe Driver Week: Why the Industry's Oldest Safety Campaign Still Matters to Fleets
A look at how a 2007 enforcement initiative became one of the most consequential weeks on the fleet safety calendar, and what it means for your drivers in 2026.
Read More →
Nexar-Nauto Merger Aims to Give Fleets Better Safety Intelligence Through Larger Driving Dataset
Stefan Heck tells Automotive Fleet that combining more than 10 billion miles of driving history with Nexar's AI models will give fleets deeper insights into driver risk and roadway conditions than either company could provide independently.
Read More →From Silos to Solutions: Relationship Management for Safer Fleets
From telematics adoption and driver accountability to policy consistency and risk mitigation, this episode breaks down what it really takes to build a safer fleet culture without slowing business down.
Read More →
IIHS Launches First Commercial Vehicle Safety Evaluations
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has begun evaluating heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans for driver protection. Which models earned top marks?
Read More →
Reducing Risk by Eliminating Phone Use Behind the Wheel
Hosted with the cofounder of Lifesaver Mobile, this episode addresses phone use behind the wheel and how to design a driving environment that actually helps prevents accidents.
Read More →
Cameras, Safety and Insurance: From Reactive Claims to Real-Time Prevention (Part 2 of 2)
Part Two: Commercial auto remains one of the most challenging and costly lines of coverage for fleet operators and insurers alike. Continue learning more about how to effectively address these issues from Onur Aksan, Enterprise Business Development Executive, Geotab
Read More →
How 5-Second Telematics Data Is Changing Fleet Safety
This episode connects with Steve Santostasi of Ford Pro and covers how a few seconds of data can make a difference in fleet safety.
Read More →
The Two Biggest Summer Downtime Threats for Fleets
A conversation with a maintenance expert reveals the two most common summer maintenance pains and how to prevent them.
Read More →