Presentation: 2025 ND EPSCoR Annual conference 

October 21, 2025, NDSU Memorial Union, Fargo, North Dakota

Truck Platooning Readiness: Infrastructure, Safety, and Policy Insights in Montana

Truck platooning, the coordinated operation of heavy trucks at reduced headways through vehicle-to-vehicle communication and automated driving technologies, offers potential to improve freight efficiency, reduce fuel consumption, and enhance roadway safety. Yet, deployment on rural corridors remains constrained by infrastructure limitations, connectivity gaps, harsh weather, regulatory inconsistencies, and public acceptance challenges. This study applies a two-stage approach to assess feasibility. First, a nationwide review of legislation across all 50 U.S. states identified enabling policies, following-distance exemptions, and areas of divergence. Second, Montana was examined as a rural case study due to its extensive freight corridors, high truck volumes, and severe winter conditions. Infrastructure analysis addressed bridges, pavements, lane markings, roadway geometry, staging areas, and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) coverage. To integrate stakeholder perspectives, surveys were administered to experts from state DOTs, academia, metropolitan planning organizations, and autonomous fleet operators, as well as to Montana residents. Results show that experts prioritize infrastructure investment, ITS expansion, and regulatory harmonization, while public respondents emphasize safety concerns, trust in automation, and impacts on daily driving. The findings underscore the need for improved connectivity, bridge monitoring, and designated staging areas, alongside harmonized regulatory frameworks. The proposed framework provides a reproducible method for identifying readiness gaps and guiding targeted investments. Insights from Montana offer a transferable model for safe and efficient platooning deployment in rural states with similar conditions.