According to Sawyer Merritt on X, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told the first autonomous vehicle safety forum that innovators from Waymo, Zoox, and Tesla are participating and that the Department of Transportation may rethink requirements such as whether autonomous vehicles need a steering wheel to cut costs while maintaining safety and global competitiveness. As reported by Sawyer Merritt, this signals potential regulatory flexibility that could unlock broader robotaxi commercialization and lower bill of materials for Level 4 systems, creating near-term opportunities for fleet operators, AV suppliers, and insurers contingent on safety benchmarks.