We know it’s not easy to keep up with everything that happens in the world of trucking. So here are the biggest stories from September focused on the latest truck trends, all in one place.
5. Today’s truck technologies are more connected than you know
Driver-assistance systems. Predictive maintenance capabilities. Remote diagnostics. Truck telematics. Taken separately, the latest truck technology can seem like options that can help improve fuel efficiency and safety, and reduce downtime—and this is true, but take a step back and look at the big picture. It’s the data that’s streaming off of your trucks working in concert with advanced automated driving technology (i.e. driver assistance systems) that will make a deeper level of automated truck operation a reality.
Editor Jason Morgan goes over the many uses of truck data, and the way it’s all connected to your fleet operation, here.
4. Battery technology is evolving; here’s the proof
“Lost in the discussion of electrification, Lithium Ion batteries and Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) batteries is the fact that most diesel truck fleets are still using the industry standard flooded lead acid batteries. All OEMs are still using this traditional battery technology as standard, and fleet managers still hold batteries as one of the top factors in downtime and increased maintenance.”
Jason Morgan goes through the issues fleets often have with traditional batteries, and the emerging options that are out there, here.
3. LEDs are lighting the way for today’s fleets
“Today’s LED lights use only 10% to 30% of the amps needed to illuminate incandescent lamps for many applications. With the lighting drawing significantly less power, the surplus energy can be used for other electrical equipment needs. For this reason, industry experts say that LEDs are the predominant light source for most, if not all, fleet lighting applications from headlights to trailer lighting.”
Contributor Brendan Baker goes through the benefits of LED lighting for fleets here,
2. Fleets are weighing the pros and cons of driver-facing cameras
An increasing number of fleets are spec’ing video telematics, which often include a driver-facing cameras. This has its benefits, including avoiding costly litigation fees and giving the fleet the ability to coach driver behavior; but it has its downsides too, as drivers often bristle at the idea of a camera watching them. Naturally, there’s some debate over whether taking advantage of this technology is worth it—even among the suppliers of video telematics themselves. We go through the pros and cons of driver-facing cameras here.
1. Visions of the Future: Kenworth’s Mike Dozier weighs in on today’s truck equipment trends
For this month’s cover story, we sat down with Mike Dozier, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president, for a talk on all things related to the future of trucking, including hydrogen power, electrification, and Kenworth’s strategy to meet a wide pool of customer applications.
