ADAS Adoption Linked to Other Key Industry Issues, ATRI’s Dan Murray Says
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CLEVELAND — Truckers’ acceptance of advanced driver assistance systems is a key element for fleets interested in adopting these technologies, but the industrywide driver shortage presents a challenging consideration, according to American Transportation Research Institute Senior Vice President Dan Murray.
Murray presented research findings on ADAS adoption Sept. 14 at American Trucking Associations’ 2021 Technology & Maintenance Council Fall Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition. He said the single biggest factor in the decision not to purchase ADAS is driver control being compromised in some fashion.
Fleets weighing this factor also contend with a pressing shortage of qualified truck drivers, a subject that has topped ATRI’s industry issues list four years in a row. ATA estimated the trucking industry needed an additional 60,800 truckers in 2018, a shortfall that is expected to grow to 160,000 drivers by 2028 unless recruiting efforts improve.
Fleets that adopt ADAS would realize insurance savings over time, ATRI's Murray says, rather than an immediate return on investment. (ZF Group)
“If that’s [fleets’] biggest issue, what [are they] not going to invest in if it scares the driver? ADAS,” Murray said. “The drivers know that they are in the broker’s seat here. Driver acceptance is a big deal.”
Insurance rates were another important consideration for carriers and drivers relating to the adoption of ADAS. In terms of insurance, Murray said ADAS technologies present an opportunity over time, rather than an immediate return on investment.
“These technologies will do a lot to mitigate crashes, but we’re not going to see immediate ROIs in terms of insurance and we’re also not going to see adoption by all fleet sizes at the exact same time,” Murray said.
#ATRI SVP Dan Murray presented at the Tuesday 5pm #TMCFall21 session on the #Techcelerate program and the importance of accelerating the adoption of #ADAS pic.twitter.com/4t0m8DYIfH — ATRI (@Truck_Research) September 14, 2021
He delivered his presentation during a session held by TMC’s study group dedicated to fleet maintenance management. Study group representatives offered an update on two recommended practice documents on the subject of ADAS that are close to completion.
One RP is focused on crafting guidelines for training technicians to support the maintenance and repair of ADAS.
The second, a joint RP between the study group on fleet maintenance management and the study group on automated and electric vehicles, aims to develop guidelines for common ADAS nomenclature. Christopher Sterwerf, chief operating officer of heavy-duty truck repair center Fairfield Auto & Truck Service Inc. in Fairfield, Ohio, said it is important to adapt as ADAS systems continue to evolve.
“There’s a tsunami of safety systems,” Sterwerf said. “It’s creating an alphabet soup. It’s spilling all over the place.”
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