How much closer are we to the 3G sunset?
We harped on it all last year: The 3G sunset is coming–and that means that there are still a staggering number of trucks with older telematics devices that need to be upgraded to 4G LTE units. Connecting with Peter Mitchell, senior vice president, general manager, Verizon Connect, an update on the network sunset was at
What’s the commercial EV reality?
This is the second time that Volvo Trucks North America’s Allison Athey has turned the tables on me. When she last took over the FE Unscripted hosting duties, we busted trucking spec’ing myths. This time, the Volvo Trucks North America product marketing manager has me in the hot seat to talk about the reality of
How renewable energy credits could impact your bottom line, sustainability goals
We’re at the point now where decarbonization efforts might not come at a premium. As more fleets focus on greater degrees of sustainability, there’s still a strong focus on profitability. Those that are looking at investing in electric charging infrastructure are taking a wholistic look at their energy spending–in both electrons and diesel. The challenge
Making sense of the 2021 trucking market and what might be ahead
Well, that was one trucking year. While the pandemic brought dark times in 2020, trucking was a bright spot. Trucks kept rolling, fleets kept delivering and the country and economy chugged along in an alphabet soup of letter-shaped recovery. Who could have guessed that 2020 would just be a prelude to the market madness of
The biggest electric truck surprises from Run on Less—Electric
Standing with Mike Roeth, executive director, North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), at ACT Expo just after 13 electric trucks started their daily routes that would be tracked and analyzed for Run on Less—Electric there was a feeling of uncertainty. There had been plenty of talk of what electric trucks could do, but this
Talking technology accessibility for truck drivers, fleet managers
It’s easy to broad brush technology and make it sound like things just happen instantly. But they don’t. The reality is that platform integrations can take a while (years, in some cases) and multiple log-ins are a daily business reality. My stomach drops every time I open a website that asks me for my username
Early electric truck wins and what’s needed going forward
There are still plenty of unknowns about the road the trucking industry will travel toward zero-emissions trucks, but if 2021 proved anything it’s that early adopting fleets are ready for electric. And the right applications are ready for electric trucks too. Many OEMs touted electric truck orders and deliveries this year. On Volvo Trucks North
Making truck drivers happy and meeting decarbonization goals
Greater sustainability through decarbonization doesn’t mean that you have to make drastic equipment choices. Electric trucks are viable for some applications today (and growth into other applications is mostly certain), but not every fleet can be a first adopter. Business basics come into play; but that doesn’t mean that you sit on the sustainability sidelines.
Reducing EV range anxiety through proper planning
Range, range, range. Will it have enough range? What’s the range? How can we improve the range? These are the types of rapid-fire questions that come at the beginning of the electric vehicle conversation. For electric trucks, range varies by manufacturer and can be impacted by the route, operating environment and even the driver’s habits.
Trailer intelligence: How smart are today’s solutions?
Rob Phillips is a man on a mission. Since Phillips Connect announced its open-platform trailer telematics intentions, the company has been growing the intelligence that its trailer telematics offering can deliver. Now the entire trailer telematics space is evolving at a rapid rate. It’s a trajectory that mirrors tractor telematics but with its own set
Behind the suspension scenes of the Western Star 49X, 47X
When a new truck is launched, we just see the end product. What took years to develop is introduced in an instant, but there’s plenty that goes on behind the scenes. Truck OEMs and suppliers collaborate on equipment specs and options, tinkering with different types of designs and components. In the case of Western Star’s
How Mack Trucks Premium Service Agreement works
Had Thomas Edison been a fleet manager, his famous quote about genius might go something like: “Fleet management genius is 1% inventive solutions and 99% preventative maintenance.” Okay, so it doesn’t roll off the tongue like inspiration/perspiration, but you get the idea, and it could be that idea that inspired Mack Trucks Premium Service Agreement
