With help from Stephanie Beasley

DOT-ROIT: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said Sunday at the auto show in Detroit that DOT’s approach to automated vehicles “will be tech-neutral, flexible, not top down and not command and control.” Chao pointed to three recent DOT initiatives related to driverless cars: Identifying barriers to innovation, a safety data initiative and the revised voluntary guidelines released in September. Version 3.0 of the guidelines, expected in summer, will include “motor carriers, trucks, transit” and other modes and “will preserve voluntary safety assessment letters,” Chao said.

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THE FUTURE IS HERE: On Friday, General Motors filed a petition with DOT asking for permission to deploy its Cruise self-driving car — with no steering wheel or pedals — in fleets in 2019. That means GM is close to clearing two of the main obstacles on the path to deployment of driverless cars: mass production and government regulation, said Karl Brauer, executive publisher for Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. “We’ve known for several months GM is ready for volume production,” Brauer said in a statement. “If government approval is granted, and GM begins providing autonomous taxi service to end users in multiple markets, we’ll officially be living in a world of self-driving cars.”

Gotcha: Chao also highlighted GM’s request for exemptions and promised that DOT will review it carefully.

AMERICANS STILL WARY: Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety commissioned a CARAVAN Poll of 1,005 adults, in which nearly two-thirds of respondents were concerned about sharing the road with driverless cars. About 63 percent opposed expanding exemptions for cars that don’t meet current safety standards. And almost three out of four respondents supported DOT issuing safety standards. In response, David Strickland, general counsel for the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets, said Americans once worired about "''horseless carriages,’ electricity and airplanes,” and that they’d eventually come around.

IT’S TUESDAY: Thanks for tuning in to POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on all things trains, planes, automobiles and ports. Tanya is in Detroit for the auto show. Brianna is taking the wheel for the next few days. Send tips, feedback and song lyrics her way: bgurciullo@politico.com or @brigurciullo.

“From the liquor stores / To the train stop floors / Your filthy room, your drama blues / I am nothing if I’m not with you.”

LISTEN HERE: Follow MT’s playlist on Spotify. What better way to start your day than with songs (picked by us and readers) about sailing the sea, driving the open road and riding the rails?

** A message from the Washington Auto Show: The Washington Auto Show will present the second-annual MobilityTalks International® event, a symposium gathering leaders in government, policy, advocacy, and automotive technology to discuss best practices regarding autonomous vehicle regulation and innovation. MobilityTalks, and media day, will run Jan. 23-25, ahead of the auto show’s opening on Jan. 26. https://www.washingtonautoshow.com/mobilitytalks. **

INFLATION: In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, President Donald Trump now is trumpeting a $1.8 trillion price tag for his yet-to-be-introduced infrastructure plan. Reality check: This top line figure is induced spending. The federal price tag remains $200 billion, which Trump again suggests in this interview will be paid for by cutting other places in the federal budget. Read the transcript here.

THIS WEEK:

Wednesday — The House Transportation Coast Guard Subcommittee holds a hearing on "The State of the U.S. Flag Maritime Industry." The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will release a report via webinar on preventing alcohol-impaired driving fatalities. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy hosts an online policy briefing to address the effects the federal infrastructure bill could have on regional trail networks and active transportation.

Thursday — The Senate Commerce Committee marks up the nominations of Lynn Westmoreland to be a member of the Amtrak Board of Directors and Diana Furchtgott-Roth to be an assistant Transportation secretary. The House Homeland Security Transportation and Protective Security Subcommittee holds a hearing on "Innovation at TSA: Examining Threat Mitigation Through Technology Acquisitions Reform."

SAVE SOME FOR US: Rural senators want President Donald Trump to set aside part of his infrastructure plan for rural broadband. “Trump has repeatedly pledged to promote faster internet service for rural communities, a key part of his base — most recently in a memorandum and an executive order he signed Monday in Tennessee,” reports Pro Tech’s John Hendel. “But lawmakers of both parties say those promises won't be enough if Trump's infrastructure plan fails to include guaranteed money to reduce the rural-urban digital divide.” Shelley Moore Capito, a leader of the Senate Broadband Caucus, worries that “most governors are going to want a road or a bridge or a dam” over broadband.

Context: The administration has indicated it’s not interested in “picking winners and losers” among projects. Officials say they’d rather support any project whose sponsors have the bulk of their funding in place. Still, the administration has acknowledged that their plan will include express allowances for rural areas. Exactly how that will be realized is anyone's guess, but it certainly could include broadband.

BRIGHTLINE OPENS TO THE PUBLIC: House Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and ranking member Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) went on the inaugural introductory ride of the new Brightline service between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Shuster said he hoped the private rail line could “serve as a blueprint for other potential private sector efforts” in transportation. Introductory service will feature 10 daily roundtrips on weekdays and nine on the weekends. The trip takes about 35 minutes. Construction on Phase 2, connecting to the Orlando International Airport, will begin in 2018. (Bad news: A woman trying to beat Brightline's inaugural run on foot was killed.)

HANDS OFF: A group of Florida Democrats is asking DHS to stop removing Customs officers from “vulnerable ports of entry,” and particularly the Orlando International Airport where there has been a spike in traffic over the past decade. “Temporarily removing CBP officers from [Orlando] places greater strain on the remaining CBP officers and will mean longer lines for travelers,” said Rep. Val Demings, who joined Reps. Darren Michael Soto and Stephanie Murphy in a letter to DHS late last week.

WE COULDN’T HELP BUT NOTICE: Trump spoke to New Jersey Governor-Elect Phil Murphy Sunday about “their commitment to working together and their desire to improve the country's infrastructure,” according to the White House. Anyone else guessing the Gateway project came up? A spokesman for Murphy, who will be sworn in on Tuesday, didn’t mention Gateway in his public statement either but said that he "expressed appreciation for the call.”

NOVEMBER WAS GOOD FOR FLYING: In November, airlines reported an on-time arrival rate of 88.3 percent — the second highest rate ever reported. (The highest rate was 88.6 in November 2009.) That same month, carriers canceled just 0.3 percent of scheduled domestic flights, equal to the lowest rate ever, set in September 2016 and November 2016. (The “bomb cyclone” two weeks ago has blown January’s chance for matching those stats.) Airline performance busted some stereotypes: High-end Virgin America had the worst on-time arrival rates by far, at 78 percent, and much-derided Spirit Airlines had the second-best — 90 percent.

MT MAILBAG: A bipartisan group of 24 members of the House from New York and New Jersey sent a letter to Chao calling for the federal government to “honor its commitment” and fund the Gateway Project and other infrastructure. Meanwhile, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said in a letter to the Rules Committee that he “cannot overstate how strongly” he supports the reintroduction of earmarks to the appropriations process, saying the ban has made it harder for members to direct needed funds toward “overlooked rural and inner-city communities.”

THE AUTOBAHN:

— "Metro says a broken rail likely caused Red Line train carrying 63 to derail." The Washington Post.

— "As shutdown talk rises, Trump’s immigration words pose risks for both parties." The New York Times.

— Reps. Fred Upton and Debbie Dingell kick off Detroit auto show with op-ed touting House self-driving car bill. The Detroit Free Press.

— "Big Brother on wheels: Why your car company may know more about you than your spouse." The Washington Post.

— "Apps, autonomy and ownership: Three ways driving is changing in 2018." The Washington Post.

— “Alaska Air, Virgin America secure single operating certificate.” Travel Weekly.

— “Transportation Economic Trends 2017.” DOT.

— New York State Rep. Chris Collins came away from talk with DOT Secretary Elaine Chao confident she won’t change 1,500 pilot training rule. The Buffalo News.

— “Fiat CEO sees room to double profit by 2022.” Bloomberg.

— “At auto show, autonomous future starts to feel tangible.” Crain’s.

THE COUNTDOWN: DOT appropriations run out in 4 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 75 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 989 days.

** A message from the Washington Auto Show: MobilityTalks International® opens the afternoon on Tuesday, January 23 on Capitol Hill and continues Wednesday, January 24 with a Plenary Session and multiple meetings at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Related conferences and meetings, including The Washington Auto Show’s Press Day, will take place on Thursday, January 25. Featured highlights include:

• Addresses by policy leaders including Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and John Thune (R-S.D.), Gov. Rick Snyder (R-Mich.), and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt.

• Presentations and panel discussions featuring leaders from the governments of nearly all of the largest car-producing nations, including China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom, The United States and the United Arab Emirates.

• Panels featuring national and state government transportation leaders, policy advocates, auto manufacturer executives, and much more.

• Opportunities to network with industry leaders, and to view a sneak peek of the 2018 consumer show, which opens to the public on Friday, January 26.

For more information, visit: https://www.washingtonautoshow.com/mobilitytalks. **