Volvo Introduces Central Portal for Connected Truck Services
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AUSTIN, Texas — Volvo Trucks North America has introduced a new fleet management portal designed to make it easier for trucking operations to monitor the health and performance of their vehicles and drivers through connected vehicle technology.
The new service, named Volvo Connect, provides a central portal for fleet managers to access Volvo’s digital services, along with analytics and reports on key metrics such as fuel consumption, idle time, vehicle speed, vehicle location and seat belt usage.
Volvo announced the new fleet management tool during an Oct. 15 press conference at American Trucking Associations’ 2023 Management Conference & Exhibition.
VTNA CEO Peter Voorhoeve said the expansion of connected vehicle technology has unlocked greater efficiency and improved uptime for the commercial trucking industry.
He likened today’s connected trucks to “iPhones with wheels.”
.@VolvoTrucksNA introduces its Volvo Connect fleet management portal to help fleets monitor the health and performance of their trucks at #ATAmce23. pic.twitter.com/BXNRV7KRjn — Seth Clevenger (@SethClevenger) October 15, 2023
Through Volvo Connect, fleet managers can monitor the status of all Volvo trucks in their fleet equipped with a factory-installed 4G telematics gateway.
“Through an easy-to-use dashboard, customers can see a comprehensive view of their entire fleet and how it is performing,” said Magnus Gustafson, vice president of Volvo Connected Services.
The portal includes data from Volvo’s Remote Diagnostics service, which allows fleets to monitor fault codes from their trucks to proactively expedite maintenance and repairs when needed.
Voorhoeve by John Sommers II for Transport Topics
In addition, Volvo Connect provides visibility to Volvo Remote Programming, making it easier for fleets to monitor the availability of over-the-air software updates to help ensure trucks are operating at peak performance.
“Through Volvo Connect, we can amplify the value of some of these services,” Gustafson said. “By visualizing the actions customers need to take, we can ensure they make the right decision fast to ensure uptime of their assets and they have at their fingertips exactly what is needed.”
To help fleets better utilize this data, Volvo Connect provides reporting to help managers analyze trends and take action to improve the efficiency and compliance of their trucks and drivers.
Gustafson said 2025 model year Volvo trucks will come with two years of free Volvo Connect service, after which a paid subscription will be required. Customers operating existing 2018 and newer Volvo models also will be able to access Volvo Connect for free for the first six months.
In the MCE exhibit hall, Volvo showcased a range of engineering innovations on its SuperTruck 2 vehicle, which made its public debut at the show.
The concept truck, jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, achieved a 134% increase in freight efficiency compared with a 2009 baseline through aerodynamics, weight reduction and other efficiency gains, Volvo said.
“This is a laboratory on wheels — an innovation hub that drives around,” Voorhoeve said.
Sometimes the sequel is better than the original. Meet #VolvoSuperTruck2 – a live innovation lab designed for the future of transportation in collaboration with @ENERGY. Learn more at #ATAmce23 in Austin, TX. pic.twitter.com/aOU7gePGCM — Volvo Trucks North America (@VolvoTrucksNA) October 12, 2023
Some of the styling and engineering work that went into SuperTruck 2 will make their way into the design of future production models, the company added.
Voorhoeve also highlighted Volvo’s ongoing efforts to accelerate the rollout of electric-powered trucks and the ecosystem needed to support them.
The company said 11 more Volvo dealership locations in the United States and Canada have completed the sales and service training and facility upgrades necessary to become Volvo Trucks certified electric vehicle dealerships.
Volvo Trucks’ dealer support network for battery-electric trucks in North America now includes 47 certified dealership locations across 22 states and three Canadian provinces.
Volvo's SuperTruck 2 makes its public debut on the exhibit hall floor at MCE. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)
The latest additions to that certified EV dealer network operate locations in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Idaho, Montana, Wisconsin and Ontario.
Volvo also exhibited its Class 8 Volvo VNR Electric day cab tractor at its booth. The battery-electric truck offers a range of up to 275 miles on a single charge.
To date, Volvo has delivered 365 of these electric vehicles in 96 unique customer operations across 12 states and provinces. Volvo’s customers also have ordered an additional 440 VNR Electric models.
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