Data notes
Methodology
How public registry records become a reproducible, source-linked deployment history.
What is tracked
For Texas, the tracker records public operator authorization metadata and every VIN in the automated motor vehicle roster, including model year, make, and model. The source payload is retained alongside normalized display values.
Baseline versus additions
The first successful snapshot establishes a baseline. Those vehicles are not labeled as newly deployed. An addition or removal is created only when a later snapshot differs from the prior active roster.
Observed dates
VIN-level timestamps indicate when this tracker observed a source change. They should not be interpreted as a vehicle's official deployment, filing, or withdrawal date unless the source explicitly supplies that date.
Normalization
VINs are uppercased and whitespace is removed. Make and model casing is normalized for grouping—such as Tesla/TESLA and Zeekr/ZEEKR—while the raw source text remains available for auditing.
VIN triangulation
NHTSA vPIC is used as an independent, cached specification decode. The complete manufacturer-submitted response is retained, including configuration, dimensions, powertrain, safety equipment, restraints, and plant details. A match or mismatch compares vehicle specifications only. TxDMV remains the source for whether the VIN appears on a Texas automated-vehicle authorization.
Matching levels
Every external panel states its matching scope. Recalls and defect investigations are matched by model year, make, and model. EPA records are configuration candidates. NHTSA complaints and Standing General Order crash reports may include only the first 11 VIN characters because the final six are withheld; those prefix matches are useful but cannot identify one full VIN conclusively.
Recalls, complaints, and investigations
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation records are cached from official APIs and flat files. A campaign, complaint, or investigation associated with a model variant is not proof that a tracked vehicle is defective, included in a campaign, or unrepaired. Consumer complaints reproduce allegations submitted to NHTSA and may be incomplete or unverified.
ADS crash reports
The tracker ingests the current and archived NHTSA Standing General Order CSV files, retains only the latest version of each report, and matches public VIN prefixes to tracked vehicles. Reports can be duplicated across incidents or entities, data can be incomplete, and counts are not normalized by fleet size or miles traveled.
NHTSA ADS vehicle identities are not fleet size
For safety analysis only, ADS crash reports can be grouped by NHTSA's Same Vehicle ID. Those crash-involved identities and masked VIN prefixes are not used to estimate total fleet size: crash reporting is not a complete deployment roster, and NHTSA does not publish the fleet denominator. Fleet charts use only full VIN assignments from public jurisdiction rosters.
Assigned VIN fleet charts
The operator chart counts current full-VIN assignments and stacks them by jurisdiction. The history chart reconstructs observed totals from each source roster's baseline and later changed snapshots. A jump can reflect newly added tracker coverage as well as an actual source change, and observation time is not necessarily an official deployment date.
EPA estimates
FuelEconomy.gov records are matched to plausible model configurations. Range, MPGe, charging time, energy consumption, and annual cost can vary by trim, wheels, drivetrain, and test configuration. Values are displayed as ranges unless one configuration can be identified confidently.
Title history
NMVTIS title, brand, odometer, insurer, junk, salvage, and total-loss data requires an approved paid provider. The tracker is provider-ready but does not claim title-history coverage until a provider is connected. NMVTIS does not expose vehicle-owner information through consumer reports.
Texas complaint history
The tracker checks TxDMV's public complaint-history response for each operator and stores published closed cases as source-linked filings. An empty complaint list means TxDMV returned no public closed cases at the last observation; it is not a general claim that no complaint has ever been made.
Autonomous trucking carrier records
The trucking tracker preserves FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshots for the seven selected USDOT numbers. Power units, drivers, MCS-150 mileage, inspections, out-of-service rates, crashes, and safety ratings describe the registered carrier as a whole. They do not isolate autonomous trucks, autonomous miles, autonomous-system engagement, or crash responsibility.
Trucking history
FMCSA publishes a current carrier snapshot rather than a historical series, so this tracker creates its own timestamped snapshot whenever the published record changes. Inspection and crash figures cover a rolling 24-month window; a change can therefore reflect both new activity and older activity aging out of the window.
California expansion
The data model separates jurisdictions, sources, operators, filings, registrations, and snapshots. Future CPUC data can therefore be imported with its original filing identifiers and document links without changing Texas history.
Primary Texas source
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier and Automated Motor Vehicle Operator Lookup.
Open TxDMV Truck Stop ↗Official VIN reference
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Product Information Catalog and Vehicle Listing API.
Open NHTSA vPIC API ↗Primary trucking source
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration SAFER Company Snapshots for carrier identity, fleet scale, inspection, crash, and safety-rating information.
Open FMCSA SAFER ↗Safety and crash sources
NHTSA recalls, complaints, defect investigations, and Standing General Order ADS/ADAS incident reports.
Energy and title-history sources
EPA/DOE FuelEconomy.gov configuration records and the official DOJ list of approved NMVTIS providers.