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 June focused on the latest truck trends, all in one place.
5. Fleets are mitigating weather woes with mapping and predictive software
“One of the most important aspects of fleet management is addressing the variables that come with the territory of hauling freight and running trucks on the road. Trucks’ journeys are inherently prone to downtime, unexpected maintenance and other issues. One of the biggest variables for fleets is weather, and anyone who has driven in severe weather knows both the impact it has on your trip and the potential for danger it brings. Running into weather issues can have significant impact on your fleet’s fuel efficiency, uptime and safety.”
Senior Editor Alex Crissey looks at telematics systems and software that deal with weather, optimizing fleets’ routes and making sure they don’t run into issues.
4. Volvo’s ‘Shape of Trucks to Come’ has arrived. Now what?
“The final shape of Volvo’s redesign “trucks to come” arrived earlier this year with the VNX heavy-haul tractor. When the VNX was announced in March, the heavy-duty Class 8 market was heating up. Today the challenge isn’t simply selling the trucks—the multitude of improvements helps do that—it’s trying to keep up with the demand.”
Now that Volvo’s redesigned lineup of trucks is complete, this month’s executive interview with Volvo’s Magnus Koeck looks at what’s next for the OEM.
3. OEMs are reducing downtime through location, logistics and data
There are two things any fleet can agree on when it comes to getting a downed truck back on the road—they want the service job done quickly, and they want it done correctly. Fairly or not, technology continues to raise our service expectations. In our personal lives, we push a button to instantly stream a movie, and we make purchases online and expect the items to be on our doorstep within two days. So why can’t our trucks be repaired just as quickly?
It’s an issue that OEMs are addressing by investing in their parts and service networks.
2. Is it time to expand into new applications?
The last-mile delivery buzz is reaching a fever pitch. Consumers are demanding that more products be delivered to their front door, and instead of hauling product across the country or state and handing it off to another carrier for front-door delivery, fleets have the opportunity to invest in medium-duty trucks and finish the job themselves. And many are–Editor Jason Morgan looks at what they’re doing and how to know if your fleet should join the last-mile fray.
1. The simple facts about advanced safety systems
Let’s face it: while advanced safety systems offer numerous benefits, the fast-advancing nature of this technology has led to some confusion in the marketplace. While we all may understand what collision mitigation systems do in the big-picture sense, the details of each system are not always so easily understood.
To alleviate this confusion, we’ve laid out the facts about each safety system. In this article, Alex Crissey goes over the advanced safety systems offered by Bendix, Detroit, Volvo and WABCO. Our checklists will show you each feature the system offers, which trucks it’s offered on, and any additional details about it. Hopefully this will be a useful guide on your quest to be both safe and informed.
