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US Department of Transportation

US federal agency overseeing highways, aviation, rail, and other transportation systems, including fuel-economy standards and air-traffic-control policy.

Known aliases

  • Transportation Department
  • USDOT

Current stories

leadershipOne report1 publisher

Trump plan would give communities with many traditional nuclear families a 10 percent transit funding boost, Vox reports

Transportation Department would give communities with high marriage and fertility rates a 10% transit funding boost, Vox reports. Vox's writer argues the criteria could cost the transit-reliant families they appear to favor.

Publishers:vox.com

Reality

Evidence40
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+20
Incentives55
Confidence40
buildOne report1 publisher

Aurora's five-year exemption lets driverless trucks swap warning triangles for cab beacons

Aurora and other driverless truck operators won a five-year U.S. exemption to use cab-mounted beacons in place of driver-placed warning devices. The term is long enough to plan driverless freight around, though the beacons' safety on the road is still unproven.

Publishers:runtimewire.com

Reality

Evidence45
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+5
Incentives60
Confidence50
investOne report1 publisher

Private jets pay 0.6% of aviation trust fund taxes on 7% of FAA-handled flights

Private jets make up about 7% of FAA-handled flights but pay 0.6% of the taxes into the fund that helps finance it, Transportation Department data show. The one repeal effort Fortune reports targets a Massachusetts sales-tax exemption, and that bill is still in committee.

Publishers:fortune.com

Reality

Evidence52
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+18
Incentives68
Confidence55
productOne report1 publisher

Bipartisan bill ties 10 percent of state highway funding to a five-use limit on plate readers

The No FLOCK Act would let the transportation secretary hold back a tenth of a state's road money unless plate readers are limited to tolls, stolen cars, missing people and felony cases. The first withholding would come in October 2028.

Reality

Evidence50
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+10
Incentives55
Confidence55
investOne report1 publisher

Aurora's 200-truck target tops out near $81 million of annual revenue

Aurora runs 20 driverless trucks today and wants 200 by December, but covering last year's $800 million loss with revenue alone would take closer to 2,000 of them at full utilisation.

Publishers:cnbc.com

Reality

Evidence42
Adoption22
Hype gap+38
Incentives74
Confidence56
productOne report1 publisher

Duffy tells Ford to unwind a Valencia venture that already clears two EU draft conditions

The US transportation secretary's 8 September letter objects to Ford's 66-34 joint venture with Geely in Spain. European lawmakers are drafting a law that would make a capped Chinese stake the price of entry.

Publishers:thenextweb.com

Reality

Evidence55
Adoption40
Hype gap+12
Incentives60
Confidence55
securityOne report1 publisher

DOT lets compliant airlines skip hotels and meals after a cyberattack delay

The Transportation Department's final rule drops amenity obligations for ten causes of disruption. Cyberattacks qualify only while the carrier can show compliance with applicable cybersecurity regulations, language Crowell & Moring calls notably broad.

Publishers:cyberscoop.com

Reality

Evidence64
Adoption25
Hype gap+18
Incentives72
Confidence58
productOne report1 publisher

Elroy Air flies the FAA pilot program's first uncrewed cargo missions in Houma, Louisiana

The Chaparral moved medical supplies, food and industrial gear for a week under air traffic control oversight, and the operational numbers a logistics buyer would need to plan a route around it have not been released.

Reality

Evidence35
Adoption25
Hype gap+40
Incentives70
Confidence45
investOne report1 publisher

Trump's 1,000-launch target is a permitting subsidy, and SpaceX owns the queue

The memo orders agencies to clear paperwork, spectrum and airspace for more than 1,000 launches a year by 2030. It appropriates nothing, so the value flows to whoever already has capital in the ground.

Reality

Evidence28
Adoption24
Hype gap+42
Incentives55
Confidence32