Autonomous driving software company Plus has named Earl Adams Jr. as vice president of public policy and regulatory affairs.

Adams will lead Plus’s global public affairs and safety advocacy efforts and advise on regulatory developments.

He assumes the position from Wiley Deck, also a former FMCSA chief, who has left the company to pursue other opportunities. 

“After nearly a decade on our autonomous journey, we are on the brink of commercializing autonomous trucks,” said David Liu, CEO and Co-Founder of Plus.

“Earl’s unmatched experience in transportation policy and his ability to connect diverse stakeholder groups will be instrumental to the next phase of our growth.

“I am grateful for Wiley’s invaluable contributions to our leadership in this field and wish him the best success in his new venture.”

Earl Adams' Autonomous Trucking Experience

Adams brings more than 20 years of experience in regulatory counseling, public policy, and safety advocacy in the transportation industry to the position. He has served as the deputy administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and before that its chief counsel. 

While at FMCSA, Adams led the agency’s team drafting safety rules of autonomous commercial vehicles and served as its liaison to the Office of the Secretary’s autonomous working group.

Adams was also in private law practice, most recently as a partner in the Transportation Regulatory practice at Hogan Lovells, where he led the firm’s autonomous vehicle working group prior to joining Plus. 

“I am excited to join Plus and work closely with partners, regulators, and other stakeholders to ensure a smooth path to safely launch autonomous trucks and make our roads safer for everyone,” Adams said in a release.

Plus is an AI company whose autonomous driving solutions span from driver-out SuperDrive to driver-in, highly automated PlusDrive, and model-based perception software PlusVision. 

The company is partnering with global commercial vehicle makers including Scania/MAN/International of Traton Group, Hyundai, and Iveco to bring driverless trucks to market.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley with operations in the U.S. and Europe, Plus’s large AI models are already powering vehicles in commercial use today. Partners such as Bosch, DSV, Hyundai Motor Company, Iveco, Luminar, Traton, and Transurban are working with Plus to accelerate next-generation transportation solutions.