NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dan Umphress, the 2014-2015 chairman of the Technology & Maintenance Council, admits that he works only half-days.

Workforce equipment, technology, regulations and demographics continue to change, but truck driving has and will always be more than a job — it’s a lifestyle. Perhaps nothing illustrates this more today than watching drivers use smart phones and tablets.

A new “blue paper” by the research department of investment bank Morgan Stanley estimated that autonomous — “self-driving” — vehicles could save the freight transportation in¬dustry $168 billion annually, through pro-ductivity gains and lower costs for labor, fuel and accidents.

Omnitracs Europe has been acquired by Astrata Group, a Singapore based IT firm, from Qualcomm Europe. Terms were not disclosed.

Hub Group Inc. and Orbcomm Inc. signed an agreement that calls for installation of Orbcomm’s GT2300 tracking and monitoring system on the logistics companies’ containers.

IRVING, Texas — The trucks of tomorrow will receive wireless software updates, utilize advanced active safety systems and benefit from additional powertrain integration and aerodynamic improvements, OEM executives told an audience of industry professionals.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach said they are testing efficiency software for the next six months to streamline traffic and improve air quality.

IRVING, Texas — Developments in safety technology have the potential to dramatically change the trucking industry, perhaps eventually leading to driverless trucks, technology leaders told fleet executives here at a meeting organized by American Trucking Associations.