The new generation: How 5G networks can improve truck technology
You might not think of a truck as technology the way you might with a smartphone or a tablet. But, think about how connected today’s trucks are and how much data they send and receive. From over-the-air updates to increasing automated options, the need for connected trucks will only grow in the future. For this
Watch: The future of automated trucks, parts 1 and 2
We know automated trucks are coming one day, but how soon will that be, what will they look like, and what needs to happen before they can get out on the road? Watch this series of episodes from FE‘s Future Focus to find out. Parts one and two are below, and parts three and four
A hammer doesn’t swing itself: The evolving role of people, technology in truck service
Conal Deedy sits in a dramatically lit conference room within the Volvo Trucks Customer Center. Spotlights shine on technology innovations past, present and future—from today’s over-the-air engine reprogramming to a rarely seen scale model of a Volvo concept truck. As Volvo Trucks’ director of connected vehicle services, Conal is Volvo’s foremost voice on all things
How Fleetmaster Express is staying on top of technology, expanding its footprint
Using technology to its advantage is an operating philosophy that has served Fleetmaster Express well. Its stated goal—to remain at the forefront of technology to ensure loads are delivered timely and safely—is now even more important as the company grows and expands its service offerings and its operating footprint. Founded in 1987 with two tractor-trailers
Three truck technology takeaways from a chat with Daimler Trucks Pres., CEO Roger Nielsen
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) President and Chief Executive Officer Roger Nielsen hosted an online media roundtable recently to provide an update on DTNA’s 2017, an outlook for 2018 and ruminate on the impact that technology and equipment trends are having on DNTA and the heavy-duty marketplace as a whole. Let’s get the numbers out of
How the latest axle technology integrates into powertrains
If the engine is the heart of your powertrain and the transmission is the shifting brains behind the operation, then the axle is the muscle, propelling your truck down the highway. While the engine and transmission get much of the spotlight, the axle plays a key role in increasing efficiency—in both proprietary powertrains and those
Trucking’s future foundation: What new technology means for your drivers
The future (of trucking) is not what we think it will be… but it’s pretty close. Consider science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov’s seminal Foundation. In the early 1950s, Asimov envisioned a world in which human behavior was mathematically deconstructed and a printed encyclopedia contained all of humanity’s knowledge. Today, we can draw parallels within our trucking
Raising the bar for automated commercial vehicles
Our industry has been buzzing about automated trucks for several years now, including examining and addressing all the benefits and pitfalls. While our initial introduction to the technology seemed like an encounter with the distant future, like most innovations, the more we have talked about them and refined them, the closer they have come to
Talkin’ tough transmissions: automatic, automated manual transmissions for vocational applications
Crawling through cramped city streets in stop-and-go pick-up and delivery applications. Driving through the dugout tire tracks of a dirt-caked construction site. Rolling through residential refuse duties. Vocational applications tackled by Class 6 through 8 trucks can place unique demands on transmissions compared to their on-highway counterparts. Yet that hasn’t stopped the trend turning toward
Cummins highlights upcoming X12 engine, additional technology at NACV
At the North American Commercial Vehicle show, Cummins offered a glimpse into its product road map with its super-efficient diesel engines (the X12 and X15) that are paired with the Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies Endurant transmission. The lighter-weight X12 engine is engineered for performance and power while offering increased fuel economy through the use
