Autonomous
Autonomous technologies now drive significant change in trucking and freight transportation. Transport Topics autonomous coverage provides a comprehensive look at that change. It provides the latest details on deployment concepts such as advanced driver-assist systems, transfer hubs, teleoperations, platooning and off-road automation and latest analysis of the companies who are manufacturing, adopting and investing in these technologies. Readers can follow the impact such deployment has on everything from policy and infrastructure initiatives to highway congestion, fuel consumption, fleet management, driver management and business investment.
Volvo Shows Off SuperTruck Entry to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz
WASHINGTON — Volvo Trucks North America unveiled its version of SuperTruck for inspection here by Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz on Sept. 13, saying its VNL 670 highway tractor demonstrates an 88% gain in freight efficiency and an extra 70% in fuel efficiency.
Self-Driving Trucks? Truckers Say: Hit the Brakes
SAN FRANCISCO — Walt Martin spent a decade as a longhaul truck driver, logging as many as 200,000 miles a year on the road.
Opinion: It’s Always Time to Appreciate Our Truck Drivers
One thing we’ll start to hear more about in the coming months is the next administration’s first 100 days in the Oval Office. It’s an opportunity to articulate a vision and begin executing new goals. As ATA’s new president and CEO, I’m nearing the end of my first hundred days in office and it has been an exciting time for me and our leadership team. There have been meetings to take and calls to make and all that goes into starting a new job, but we’ve hit the ground running to start securing victories for the trucking industry.
September 12, 2016Editorial: Future Trucks Today
No quiet end to summer this year. Original equipment manufacturer executives have not been lounging poolside.
September 12, 2016DTNA’s Daum Cautious on Speed Limiters, Autonomous Expectations
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The growing importance of fleets being able to regulate the speed of individual trucks through remote, over-the-air engine updates should be taken into account as the federal government considers a mandate requiring heavy-duty vehicles to utilize speed limiters, the president of Daimler Trucks North America said.
When Self-Driving Vehicles Take to the Road, Impact on Jobs is Uncertain
Millions of Americans make a living by driving trucks, delivery vans, taxis and ride-hailing cars. When technology takes the wheel, what will happen to their livelihoods?
Opinion: Jake Brakes Keep Drivers Safe on Steep Roads
You can’t work in the trucking industry for long without realizing the interconnectedness of the trucking world — goods with communities, roads with ports, airports and railways, regulations across international and provincial borders and municipal boundaries, you name it. Another connection may not be immediately apparent: Canada’s National Trucking Week and “Jake” brakes.
September 5, 2016Large TL Churn at 5-Year Low in Sluggish Market, ATA Says
Driver turnover fell 4 percentage points year-over-year for larger truckload fleets to 83% in the second quarter, dropping to the lowest level since 2011 amid a sluggish freight market, American Trucking Associations reported last week.
Natural-Gas Advocates Claim Victories in Phase 2 GHG Emissions Regulation
The Phase 2 greenhouse-gas emissions final rule gave natural-gas advocates victories in how the alternative fuel is handled and how emissions of methane are regulated, they said, even as the rule forecast little chance of natural gas becoming a major fuel source for heavy-duty trucks in the next decade.
Truck-Involved Crash Deaths Rise; Highest Total Since ’08, DOT Says
Fatalities in crashes involving large trucks rose 4.1% from 2014 to 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported Aug. 29.