Plotting a course for truck platooning
Truck platooning technology often gets lumped into the overall autonomous technology conversation. While platooning is certainly a building block toward a more autonomous truck, its merits are worth investigating separately. The recent Trucking Efficiency Confidence Report looked at a two-truck platoon case study and found that a separation distance of 40 to 50 ft. could
WABCO to work with Peloton on platooning technology
WABCO Holdings Inc. has announced that it is working with Peloton Technology on truck platooning solutions, integrating commercial vehicle-to-vehicle communication and other automation technologies that further improve safety and fuel efficiency. By electronically linking two or more tractor-trailers to form virtual road-trains on highways, platooning increases fuel economy by more than 7%, namely up to 4.5%
How remote diagnostics stay on top of service issues
While OEMs will share their proprietary service data through Right to Repair, they have also continued to develop their respective remote diagnostics offerings to better diagnose a truck’s problems. In fact, Remote diagnostic systems are now offered in some form by all the major truck and engine OEMs. These systems collect diagnostic data on the
The challenge of reducing service wait times
Uptime is everything to a fleet. The most important thing for an individual truck’s profitability is the amount of time it spends on the road, running its route and doing its job. When the truck needs service, it needs to be done right, but expedience is also key—fleets don’t want that asset out of commission
Manual transmissions, does the bell toll for thee?
They’ve been a staple of trucks since the very first one was built, but for manual transmissions, the end may be nigh. Magnus Koeck, Volvo’s vice president of marketing and brand management, says he believes that five years from now, manual transmissions in trucks will have disappeared entirely. One catalyst for this change, he explained, can
Detroit readies the DD5 engine for production
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) announced that it will begin production of Freightliner M2106 trucks equipped with the DD5 engine beginning in October. The DD5 is the newest Detroit engine to be released, and was first announced in late 2014. Detroit also announced that the DD5 engine has received EPA certification, meaning that it has met the 2017
Daseke Inc.—Powered by strength in diversity
For Scott Wheeler, it’s all about continuous improvement. “Our mission is to be better tomorrow than we are today,” says Wheeler, executive vice president and corporate chief executive officer of Daseke Inc. “Daseke is more than a group of trucking companies. It is comprised of companies with strong management and highly personalized customer service skills,
Have cameras, will travel
The sun splashes a glare across my laptop screen as the 600-MPH soaring cattle cannon crosses the country. The Kinks’ This Time Tomorrow drowns out the drumming of the engines and fuels dreams of the Fleet Equipment staff’s next adventure. The trucking industry is a market in motion. It’s true, the FE crew travels a
The added value of remanufactured engines, transmissions and axles
For fleets that are extending trade cycles, and those interested in gaining the highest possible resale value for vehicles being taken out of service, remanufactured components can be cost effective. Recently, with new truck deliveries reaching record levels, the rising number of trades has meant more used trucks on the market, making vehicles with remanufactured
The truck equipment trend of the year
It’s been the talk of the industry all year. Its importance goes beyond monetary savings by preserving equipment and mitigating collisions. This year, Fleet Equipment crowns advanced safety systems as its 2015 Truck Equipment Trend of the Year. “Fleets are asking about safety systems; the percentage of orders for a collision mitigation radar system for
