Technology

Maine Gov. Paul LePage took a step Jan. 17 toward regulating a rapidly emerging automotive technology that in the not-too-distant future could find self-driving cars, trucks and buses operating on Maine roads.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is gathering information about an accident involving a Tesla Inc. Model S sedan that rear-ended a firetruck on a freeway near Los Angeles on Jan. 22, the agency said.

Volvo Trucks North America views urban distribution and other pickup and delivery applications as the starting point for battery-powered electric trucks in North America, but Europe is the first market where its parent company will enter the segment.

Waymo, the driverless car division owned by Google’s parent company, announced Jan. 22 that it will bring its test program to metro Atlanta.

The new tire market for medium- and heavy-duty trucks continues to be dominated by familiar names such as Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear, Yokohama, Firestone and Continental. But an outside force has been making inroads into the domestic truck tire business in recent years, an industry analyst said.

While it likely will be several more years before autonomous vehicles are common on North State roads, Interstate 5 could be a step closer to accommodating the vehicles by this spring.

Ryder System Inc. announced the appointment of Rajeev Ravindran to the position of chief information officer.

Commercial vehicle supplier Meritor Inc. announced a realignment of its three operating segments to further drive its long-term strategic objectives while assigning new responsibilities as part of the company’s commitment to leadership development.