Editorial: Impeding Technology’s Progress
For the trucking press, few weeks on the calendar are as anticipated as the Mid-America Trucking Show.
Occurring just prior to the end of the first quarter, the event serves as the first major marker of industry progression for the year. It is filled with nearly round-the-clock meetings and equipment manufacturers eager to sell to everyone from the largest fleets to the individual owner-operator.
It is an almost overwhelming task to remember all of the products and innovations that are announced one after another in Louisville, Kentucky, especially because of the countless partnerships and integrations that have been developed by suppliers in recent years.
Sales and marketing directors are surely trying to create “wow” factors to help their companies stand out against competitors at a show covering more than 1 million square feet of the Kentucky Exposition Center. However, there also is a far more important purpose — to better assist truck operators as they safely and efficiently serve their shippers and keep the economy moving.
Though rarely a week goes by where Transport Topics does not report on some of the most important in-flux regulations — such as the hours-of-service rule and the Compliance, Safety, Accountability ratings system — truckers attending the show lift their voices as well.
It is for that reason we believe government regulators would be well-served to listen to the messages shared here.
We heard some striking examples of how well-intended regulations are holding back progress in more subtle ways.
For example, while unveiling its SuperTruck, Daimler Trucks North America said its camera system, which replaces traditional mirrors, played a role in achieving what it called unprecedented fuel economy by streamlining the truck’s design. Even though it is a concept vehicle, it also suggested current rules requiring mirrors will soon be out of date as camera systems offer drivers greater visibility.
Similarly, Bendix spoke of the need for a permanent easing of a requirement that no objects be placed in the way of windshield wipers. While that seems to make perfect sense, the advancement of cameras to aid drivers already has led to temporary exemptions of long-standing standards.
The unfortunate result, a Bendix official said, has been confusion among truck safety inspectors on which exemptions exist for certain systems — often at the expense of highway safety.
Rearview and windshield cameras advance vehicle safety, a goal that has been recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board. Innovative new systems that follow with the spirit of NTSB should also be allowed to comply with the letter of the law.
