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CENTREVILLE, Va. —While some self-driving truck developers are focused on building a future when heavy-duty vehicles will operate autonomously on the highway, another startup has already begun to commercialize an automated driving system that it believes is market-ready today.

Drones can offer an appealing alternative to traditional cargo delivery methods, according to Daniel Friedenzohn, associate dean of the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced $60 million in awards to research groups and state departments of transportation that are exploring projects related to vehicle automation.

DUBLIN, Va. — Volvo Trucks North America introduced an updated version of its driver assistance system that increases the speed from which the brakes can stop the truck without driver input, and which improves the system’s recognition of when the driver switches lanes to avoid a vehicle in its path.

Officials aiming to facilitate the flow of freight amid advancements in autonomous vehicle technologies need policies designed to reduce the frequency of freight trips while enhancing safety, a new report by the National Association of City Transportation Officials concluded.

Japanese truck maker UD Trucks, a unit of Volvo Group, announced it showcased Level 4 autonomous driving together with the nation’s largest logistics firm and a 100-year-old agricultural cooperative — calling the technology an important tool to address the contracting work force.

Daimler Trucks has begun testing highly automated heavy-duty trucks on Virginia highways in partnership with its subsidiary, °®¶¹´«Ã½, the companies said.

U.S. transportation safety investigators found Tesla Inc.’s design of its automated driver-assist system was partly to blame for a crash in which an inattentive driver slammed into a fire truck parked on a freeway near Los Angeles in 2018.

Once a household name for its satellite navigation for cars, TomTom NV has taken a backseat in recent years as smartphones, loaded with apps such as Google maps, surged in popularity.