Kenworth electric truck test drive, charging equipment overview
Get ready to get behind the wheel of a pair of EVs. At a media event in California, Kenworth provided the opportunity to hop behind the wheel of the medium-duty K270E cab over hauler that can cover applications from Class 3 to 8, as well as take ride in the Class 8 Kenworth T680E. The
How suppliers work with telematics providers to get fleets the data they need
In the world of trailer telematics, integration lines are being drawn. Trailer OEMs and third-parties are both rapidly evolving trailer telematics solutions beyond location data. Suppliers are incorporating sensors into their tried-and-true trailer equipment and sending that info through the on-board trailer telematics system to deliver that information to fleets. But like many truck technology
How self-driving truck systems see
Visibility is key to truck operation, that’s true for a human driver and it’s especially true for automated driving systems. While Level 2 self-driving technology (adaptive cruise control working with active lane keep assist) is available today, fully automated Level 4 machine driving requires even greater visibility. Visibility that might even be beyond what we
The past, present and future of truck technology
Only in retrospect does technology become a revolution. It’s development is often more of an evolution–the next logical step from the previous one taken. Consider the current trajectory of automated trucks, for example, that grew out of cruise control and lane departure warnings. Today, we have adaptive cruise control and active lane assist that leverage
Just how connected are truck maintenance solutions?
In the Before-Times, predictive maintenance was the talk of the truck service technology town. Then, well, you know what happened, and it brought service discussion back down to Earth. Today, fleets still battle long dwell times and parts shortages. That’s not to say that predictive maintenance development was put on the back burner, but “connected
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
