Spun out of its Brussels-based counterpart, and the virtual RUC Americas 2021 conference, the second annual Road User Charging Conference USA takes place at the Hyatt Regency’s James L Knight Center in Downtown Miami, Florida, on 26-27 April 2023.
The two-day event will highlight the latest tolling technologies, road-usage charging (RUC) projects and intelligent transport systems being implemented across America, and see a mix of public- and private-sector transport experts deliver presentations on the key topics affecting senior decision-makers responsible for operating and maintaining the USA’s major road and transportation networks.
Chief among those being the fiscal challenges US states face regarding their reliance on the dwindling fuel/gas tax as a primary source of future transportation and infrastructure funding.
Attendees will include transportation professionals from US state DOTs, MPOs, transit agencies, think tanks, lobbying groups and transportation alliances across the USA, all of whom are eager to share best practices, ideas, and information on all things RUC.
Some of the first-time speakers already confirmed for the conference include Maureen Bock, chief innovation officer at the Oregon Department of Transportation, who will present a ‘beginner’s guide’ to RUC, looking at the history and evolution of RUC in the USA and how it relates to other forms of charging, and looking forward to what the future holds.
Reema Griffith, executive director of the Washington State Transportation Commission, will cover Washington State’s RUC research programme, Forward Drive, and provide the latest happenings on RUC in the state including the Commission’s ground-breaking 2023 RUC recommendations.
Jacki Kuzio, assistant research scientist in the Infrastructure Investment Analysis (IIA) programme at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, will discuss whether electric vehicles (EVs) should pay per mile by examining the challenges, opportunities and alternatives for capturing revenue from alternatively fuelled vehicles. Kuzio will also outline policy considerations for introducing a RUC for EVs and explain how to incentivise the shift without impacting transportation funding.
Another new speaker for 2023 is Carmen Martorana, executive director at the International Fuel Tax Association (IFTA), which manages and administers the International Fuel Tax Agreement – an agreement between the lower 48 US states and the Canadian provinces to simplify the reporting of fuel use by motor carriers that operate in more than one jurisdiction. At the conference, Martorana will discuss how the IFTA platform, process and association itself can help facilitate a transition from fuel use tac to a RUC.
And on the topic of public outreach, new speaker DeeAnne Vickery, chief of staff at the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, will reveal how to pave the way for successful RUC adoption through strategic and effective communication, while Colleen Gants, principal and national transportation lead at PRR, will draw upon her 10+ years in national road usage charge programs, including OReGO, to explain how public-sector agencies can win public understanding and support by using terminology and policies that are most easily understood/accepted by the public.
Technology providers will also be on the programme. For example, Shannon Swank, executive vice president at Electronic Transaction Consultants, will discuss the advantages of multiple account providers to create interoperable, frictionless payments; Neil Jadhav, chief digital officer and general manager, mobility platform at Neology, will share lessons from Europe regarding how to use RUC as a progressive environmental policy tool; and Jan Cools, CEO of Be-Mobile, will explain how the company’s Access Rights platform combines parking, low-emission zones and congestion charging to reach five key urban mobility objectives for smart cities.
What’s more, an analysis of a national VMT tax system, including collection costs, alternative approaches and its impacts on trucking, will be provided by Jeffrey Short, vice president of the American Transportation Research Institute; Eric Paul Dennis, PE, research associate of infrastructure policy at Citizens Research Council of Michigan, will offer advice for US states pursuing RUC pilots and policy; and Chris Berrens, planning director at the Minnesota Department of Transportation, will share insight into leveraging fleet managers and public private partnerships for RUC, such as shared mobility, autonomous vehicles and automotive OEMs.
Delegates can also expect to hear from the likes of Barbara Rhode, executive director of the Mileage Based User Fee Alliance; Adrian Moore, vice president of policy at the Reason Foundation; Patricia Hendren, executive director of The Eastern Transportation Coalition; and Randal Thomas, administrator at RUC America.
Book your place at www.roaduserchargingconferenceusa.com today and join these transportation professionals from US state DOTs, MPOs, transit agencies, think tanks, lobbying groups and transportation alliances across the USA – all of whom are eager to share best practices, ideas, and information on all things RUC!
Meet our partners
Thought Leadership Partners
When truck road user charging was launched in Belgium in 2016, Be-Mobile developed a unique, high-performance road user charging platform in record time using the granularity and accuracy of its map matching activities. Since then, Be-Mobile has continued to develop its suite of services for toll chargers and account managers. These services allow toll chargers to determine their rates and immediately calculate their impact. They also enable account managers to offer additional value-added services beyond road user charging. Be-Mobile’s road user charging platform, in combination with connected vehicles, enables the collection of all required data from the vehicle itself and brings valuable information into the vehicle with V2X technology.
www.be-mobile.com
ETC is a leading US intelligent transportation and smart mobility systems provider, developing and delivering best in class solutions for tolling, congestion management, urban mobility, and multimodal transportation needs. ETC’s passionate and innovative team has been driving the future of mobility since 1999, with a number of industry firsts, including all-electronic tolling, dynamic pricing, agency interoperability, hosted mobility solutions and machine learning. For more than two decades, ETC has delivered sophisticated solutions to many of the USA’s largest toll authorities, including state-wide programmes, county networks and tolling-specific authorities. ETC’s solutions process more than two billion transactions annually totalling more than US$3bn in revenues for its customers, incorporating the latest in evergreen open-source and SaaS technologies and big data architecture through its innovative riteSuite products.
www.etcc.com
Neology re-imagines mobility to accelerate the vision of a smart city and safer communities. By closely collaborating with its customers, Neology connects existing infrastructure assets with next-generation technology to modernise the way people move. Backed by a culture of innovation, Neology helps create safer, cleaner, more efficient mobility experiences that support sustainable growth and help communities thrive. The company’s smart city and safer community solutions are built on open-platform interoperability and advanced AI techniques to bring new levels of performance, scalability, and flexibility. Its adaptive solutions – from toll collections to enforcement to payment – along with a top-tier mobility partner ecosystem ensure mobility infrastructure connects with a broader smart city and safer community vision.
www.neology.netNGO Partner
Founded in 1978, Reason Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation that focuses on an array of policy issues, including transportation, where its research focuses on user fee funding and sensible financing of transportation projects, efficient project delivery, and competitive and customer-driven services that embrace technological innovations. Through practical and innovative approaches to complex problems, Reason seeks to change the way people think about issues and promote policies that allow and encourage individuals and voluntary institutions to flourish.
www.reason.org
- The most up-to-date agenda for Road User Charging Conference USA 2023 is online at www.roaduserchargingconferenceusa.com. For partnership enquiries, contact Mercedes Alonso at mercedes.alonso@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0)20 8037 1774. For speaking opportunities, contact John Thornton at john.thornton@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0)20 8037 1783. For delegate enquires, contact Ross Sturley at ross.sturley@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0)20 8037 1775.
