Business

General Motors Co. is expected to announce on Jan. 27 plans to build the all-electric Cruise Origin self-driving shuttle at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

LAS VEGAS — Even as automated vehicle developers tamped down inflated expectations for fully self-driving passenger cars at CES 2020, several companies continued to tout the market potential for highly automated commercial vehicles.

The six electric vehicles known collectively as Little Roady navigate a 5-mile loop in regular traffic and steer themselves into 10 curbside stops, giving lawyers and laborers alike a free ride.

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has partnered with OptiCat to distribute digital product data and photographs securely to Bendix’s channel partners for use on e-commerce platforms.

The LED is the alternative to the long-established halogen-enhanced incandescent bulb and the more recent high-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs that have seen some uptake by truck manufacturers.

As major players jostle for market share in large-scale power storage, American Electric Power and Nissan Motor Co. are testing new technology that reuses old electric vehicle batteries to slash costs.

Downspeeding saves fuel, and with aerodynamics and tires continuing to improve, truck manufacturers are experimenting with still lower rear axle ratios.

As the trucking industry and government regulators both seek to take advantage of productivity, safety and maintenance-enhancing opportunities presented by technology, are we about to encounter a wave that cannot be met with the existing tractor-trailer power and communications architecture?

Diesel technician jobs are becoming more high-tech and specialized as truck manufacturers progressively adopt digital componentry. The profession is suffering from a worker deficit, and fleets find themselves hiring recruits fresh from technician school.

Professional development is a journey without an end, a task that is never truly complete. That’s true for most any profession, and commercial vehicle technicians are certainly no exception.