The Senate Transportation Committee heard testimony on House Bill 1614, a study bill proposing research on autonomous and semi‑autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies, and the bill’s sponsor described a narrowly scoped, evidence‑based approach to assess infrastructure readiness, safety data, liability and data privacy.

Representative Jared Hendricks said the bill replaces an earlier, more prescriptive proposal with a study administered by the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI) under DOT advisement. Hendricks explained that North Dakota already permits certain AV operations and limited platooning under existing law, but he argued that rapid changes in AV capabilities since the 2017 study require updated analysis. "These technologies have advanced significantly in the last eight years," Hendricks said.

The bill requests a one‑time appropriation (sponsor discussion estimated roughly $100,000) to cover legal analysis on liability and to support UGPTI’s research. Hendricks said the study would assemble safety‑incident data, evaluate infrastructure gaps (lane markings, communications and weather resilience), analyze liability questions and examine data privacy and cybersecurity risks.

The North Dakota Motor Carriers Association (Scott Meske) spoke in support, saying freight industry stakeholders want to participate in a coordinated study and planning process so North Dakota can adopt measured regulation. The Short Line Railroad Coalition asked the committee to consider including an economic‑impact component to assess effects on short‑line rail traffic should truck platooning and other AV freight applications expand.

No committee vote was recorded at the hearing; sponsors indicated willingness to refine language and the committee closed the record.