Equipment

About Equipment News...

Commercial freight transportation is a machine-based business. Highly technical equipment and advanced engineering are at the center of supply chain and require constant innovation. Transport Topics equipment coverage focuses on the machines and other physical assets that make delivery possible. It looks closely at available truck, trailer, and chassis models, developments in the engineering space, and maintenance innovations and best practices. 

Business, Technology, Equipment, Autonomous

Robot Rides Are Going to Deliver Pizza and Parcels Before People

In the wait for self-driving technology, cellphone toting tech bros may have to cede their spot in line to pizzas, Craigslist couches and the mounting ephemera of e-commerce.

March 13, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, TCA

PeopleNet’s Cameras Get More Eyes on the Road to Help Make Better Drivers

More eyes on the road can help make car and truck operators better drivers. hat’s the idea behind the Video Intelligence system from Minnetonka, Minn.,-based PeopleNet.

Patrick Kennedy | Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
March 12, 2018
Business, Equipment

Truck Makers Introduce New Models at Work Truck Show

INDIANAPOLIS — Several truck manufacturers introduced new and updated commercial trucks during the 2018 edition of the Work Truck Show, produced annually by the National Truck Equipment Association.

Jim Galligan | Special to Transport Topics
March 12, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety

‘Lockout-Tagout’ Helps Fleets Ensure the Safety of Technicians

The work of servicing and maintaining a fleet of trucks presents a wide assortment of potential dangers to technicians, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s “lockout-tagout” regulations provide guidance to reduce the risk of injury or death.

Bruce Lilly | Special to Transport Topics
March 9, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety

Lighting the Way

Today’s fleets are increasingly shifting toward LED headlights, not only for truck drivers’ safety but also to improve maintenance and the overall operation of the truck, industry experts said.

Jim Romeo | Special to Transport Topics
March 9, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety

Technology Could Attract New Truck Maintenance Technicians

The trucking industry needs to hire about 30,000 maintenance technicians to keep up with demand.

Mindy Long | Special to Transport Topics
March 9, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Autonomous

Alphabet’s Waymo Takes on Freight in Atlanta With Driverless Semis

Waymo will start testing a fleet of autonomous freight trucks in Georgia’s capital that will take deliveries to Google’s data centers.

David Welch | Bloomberg News
March 9, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment

Career Pathways Are Evolving

In today’s data-driven world, where much of fleet management strives to solve all of its problems strictly by the numbers, consider the following truth: Data does not fix anything.

Darry Stuart | Past General Chairman and Treasurer, Technology & Maintenance Council
March 9, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment

Putting the ‘Up’ in Uptime

"Uptime,” or keeping trucks running and earning money for their fleets and drivers rather than broken down on the side of the road, is a much-touted term in this industry — for good reason.

Fran Matso Lysiak | Features Editor
March 9, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety

Maintenance Shop Management

With the increasing complexity of modern trucks and an even higher premium placed on drivers’ time, Glen McDonald, maintenance director at Ozark Motor Lines, knew he needed to maximize shop labor and move trucks through his fleet’s maintenance shops more ­quickly, all of which required an updated approach.

Mindy Long | Special to Transport Topics
March 9, 2018