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LAS VEGAS — The self-driving car is getting closer to deployment in the real world for everyday passengers.

2018 could bring commercial applications of truck platooning after successful demonstrations of the driver-assisted technology last month in Florida and Michigan by platooning developer Peloton Technology.

Active steering is steadily moving beyond the prototype stage and is expected to become available in commercial trucks within the next couple of years.

The passenger car market serves as an example of the kinds of automated steering systems truck makers will likely offer in the future.

Trucking firms are revved up for 2018, with predictions of tight capacity and strong demand for freight hauling setting the stage for an anticipated big year ahead for the industry, and indicators pointing to a potentially sustained period of business expansion in the United States and around the globe.

No matter your place on the political spectrum, it is undeniable passage of the Republican-led tax reform measure was a monumental feat. This week we highlight our favorite news items from Capitol Agenda in 2017.

The futuristic appeal of the autonomous vehicles that began operating Dec. 21 on the Jacksonville Transportation Authority test track is the prospect that eventually hundreds of them could be shuttling passengers around downtown.

Self-driving cars may be the future, but relinquishing control of the wheel certainly takes some getting used to. It’s one thing to go (slowly) with the flow on well-marked city streets, for which many self-driving cars were initially developed and tested, but what happens when you throw icy winter road conditions into the mix?

Another fleet of mining trucks will join the growing ranks of machines operating autonomously using Caterpillar Inc. systems in Australia next year, reflecting the company’s push to cement industry partnerships with proprietary technology.