Autonomous

About Autonomous News...

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.

Business, Autonomous

Rush Enterprises Names Michael McRoberts Chief Operating Officer

Publicly traded truck dealership Rush Enterprises Inc. announced that it had appointed Michael McRoberts as chief operating officer, effective immediately.

July 8, 2016
Business, Safety, Technology, Equipment, Autonomous

ZF Unveils Evasive Maneuvering, Automated Highway Driving Systems

ALDENHOVEN, Germany — ZF Friedrichshafen unveiled its latest advances in automated driving technology for trucks, including emergency steering to avoid imminent collisions and a highway driver-assist system that automatically keeps the vehicle in the lane while maintaining safe following distances.

Seth Clevenger | Managing Editor, Features and Multimedia
July 1, 2016
Business, Autonomous

Why Will the Feds Let Robots Drive Trucks but Not Trains?

Peter Mills sees an inconsistency. One arm of the U.S. Department of Transportation is recommending two-person crews be required for freight trains as another plans to spend billions to help develop driverless technology for longhaul trucks.

Thomas Black | Bloomberg News
June 30, 2016
Perspective, Business, Autonomous

Opinion: Pre-buying Could Cost Fleets in the Long Run

The trucking industry is notorious for pre-buying trucks before each Environmental Protection Agency-mandated change in heavy-truck engines. Many fleets do so because they are concerned about the reliability of the new technology, or they are trying to avoid the increased cost of new technology. Both are valid concerns.

June 27, 2016
Business, Equipment, Autonomous

May Truck Sales Fall 19.5%

U.S. retail sales of Class 8 trucks in May dropped 19.5% as the downturn rolled on for a sixth consecutive month and still has not hit bottom, analysts said.

Roger Gilroy | Senior Reporter
June 20, 2016
Perspective, Business, Government, Autonomous

Opinion: The Truck Driver Shortage Is a Myth

Truck drivers, for the most part, don’t stay with one company for long. They go elsewhere quicker than they can be replaced.

June 20, 2016
Editorial, Business, Autonomous

Editorial: What Goes Up . . .

In many ways, this should not be a surprise: After several years of scorching new-truck sales, the market is rapidly cooling.

June 13, 2016
Government, Business, Safety, Logistics, Autonomous

Federal Grants Awarded to Help Reduce Trucking Border Congestion

Transportation agencies in New York, Michigan and Washington on June 3 received federal grants to improve the way they issue traffic alerts to truckers crossing the Canadian border.

June 10, 2016
Government, Business, Safety, Logistics, Autonomous

Canada Targets US Truck Washes in Fight Against Killer Pig Virus

Canadian farm groups are blasting U.S. truck washes for being too dirty to prevent the spread of a virus that has killed millions of piglets in recent years, exposing a dispute over the effectiveness of such facilities in North American agriculture.

Tom Polansek | Reuters
June 10, 2016
Perspective, Business, Government, Safety, Autonomous

Opinion: Election Brings New Challenges for Trucking

As chairman of the American Truck Dealers, the challenge for all of us — truck manufacturers, trucking companies and dealers — is to build relationships with members of Congress and federal regulators so that we have a voice in shaping the environment in which our businesses operate.

June 6, 2016