{"id":127473,"date":"2026-03-19T00:12:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T03:12:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/900341797"},"modified":"2026-03-19T00:12:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T03:12:46","slug":"north-texas-emerges-as-testing-hub-for-groundbreaking-transportation-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/03\/19\/north-texas-emerges-as-testing-hub-for-groundbreaking-transportation-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"North Texas emerges as testing hub for groundbreaking transportation technology"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Companies like Waymo are trying out their emerging tech in NTX, including driverless cars, autonomous trucks, drone deliveries and even air taxis<\/p>\n

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DALLAS \u2014 Across North Texas, the future of transportation isn\u2019t something far off on the horizon. It\u2019s already showing up on city streets, highways and even in the skies.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Driverless robotaxis from companies like Waymo, with more expected from Uber and others, are beginning to navigate local roads. On major freight corridors, autonomous trucks operated by companies such as Kodiak and Aurora are hauling goods across Texas. In some neighborhoods, drone deliveries are dropping packages directly to customers.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Taken together, the region is quietly becoming one of the country\u2019s most active testing grounds for emerging transportation technology.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cFor companies testing what comes next, this region has become the place to do it,\u201d said Natalie Bettger, a senior program manager with the Regional Transportation Council of North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Bettger said the appeal starts with geography. North Texas sits at the center of major national freight routes, making it a natural hub for moving goods.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re centrally located on major routes, so freight carriers can use this region as a hub,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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But location is only part of the equation. State policies designed to support innovation have helped attract companies eager to test new technology in real-world conditions.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cThe state has put in place some regulations that really allow it to work well in Texas,\u201d Bettger said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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And then there\u2019s the weather.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cFor the most part we have a pretty decent climate,\u201d she added, noting that consistent conditions allow companies to test systems more reliably.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Now, the next phase of that experimentation is moving beyond roads and into the air.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Federal aviation officials recently announced Dallas will be part of eight pilot programs nationwide aimed at integrating a new generation of aircraft \u2014 including electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, often referred to as air taxis into everyday transportation systems.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re talking about everything from an air taxi, from one city to another, to rural cargo deliveries,\u201d said FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau. \u201cBringing people out to oil rigs and the like.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The pilot programs are designed to test not just the aircraft themselves, but the broader system needed to support them.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cTexas was particularly compelling because we were looking for the opportunity to test this ecosystem; moving people, moving cargo, multiple cities, partnerships with airports and infrastructure,\u201d Rocheleau said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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For regional planners, the potential goes beyond novelty. Air taxis and similar technologies could help address gaps in existing transportation systems.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s very exciting as we think about air taxis and how they can complement the ground transportation system within our region and maybe fill gaps that we have,\u201d Bettger said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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In a region already defined by growth and movement, those gaps and how to close them are now part of a larger experiment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The future of transportation is top of mind.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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And in North Texas, it\u2019s already being put to the test.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Associated Press contributed to this story<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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… are trying out their emerging tech<\/span> in NTX, including driverless cars … testing grounds for emerging transportation technology<\/span>. \u00e2\u0080\u009cFor companies testing what comes … companies eager to test new technology<\/span> in real-world conditions. \u00e2\u0080\u009cThe state …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127473\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}