Technology

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Commercial freight transportation businesses rely on data, intelligence, and novel solutions for operational efficiency. Transport Topics technology coverage investigates available technologies, real-world applications of business solutions, and the strategies necessary for advancement. News topics focus on the latest applied science, and issues range from autonomous vehicle and robotics innovations to management software, tracking and transparency, data analytics, blockchain, and the internet of things.

Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety, Autonomous

Ford Refuses to Rush Into Robo-Taxis, Even After GM, Waymo Deals

General Motors Co. and Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo rocked the auto industry last week with self-driving deals that will have each deploying thousands of robo-taxis onto U.S. roads over the next 18 months. Ford Motor Co., meanwhile, will continue biding its time.

Keith Naughton | Bloomberg News
June 8, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety, Autonomous

Defining Driver Responsibility When Trucks Begin to Drive Themselves

As truck makers and technology developers work toward introducing vehicles with some level of automated driving features in the years ahead, it will be essential for drivers to have a clear understanding of what those systems can and cannot do and how much they can rely on them.

June 8, 2018
Business, Technology, Autonomous

The Eyes of Autonomy

Advances in sensor technology will play a key role in the development of increasingly sophisticated driver- assist systems and the eventual deployment of self-driving trucks in commercial fleets.

B. Cameron Gain | Special to Transport Topics
June 8, 2018
Business, Technology, Safety

Website Not Encrypted? Google Soon Will Add Warnings That Could Turn Visitors Away

Come July, Google Chrome will add stark security warnings that could turn business away from your website if it’s unencrypted. Specifically, Google will brand your site as “not secure” in the address bar of its popular web browser if it senses you’re operating without encryption. “Users presented with this warning will be less likely to interact with these sites or trust their content,” so it’s “imperative” that site operators get their websites encrypted, said Patrick Donahue, security engineering product lead at Cloudflare, a web services provider.

Joe Dysart | Webology 101
June 8, 2018
Business, Technology, Autonomous

The Future Is Autonomous, Not Jobless

If autonomous vehicles are the future of the trucking industry, what is the future of the truck driver? On the surface, it might appear to some casual observers that automation could soon spell the end of the truck driving profession, but that perception quickly falls apart when examining the current limitations of the technology and the stark realities of trucking’s labor needs.

Seth Clevenger | Managing Editor, Features and Multimedia
June 8, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety

Roadside Repairs by Fleets Rose 21% in 1Q, Study Says

RALEIGH, N.C. — Fleets saw their roadside breakdowns increase by 21% in the first quarter this year compared with the fourth quarter of 2017, according to the Truckload Vertical Benchmarking Study from American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council and FleetNet America.

Burney Simpson | Staff Reporter
June 7, 2018
Government, Technology, Equipment, TCA

Sacramento Begins Experiment With Digital License Plates

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The digital license plate on display outside Sacramento City Hall on June 4 does a lot of things other technology can already do.

Ben Miller | Government Technology
June 7, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Autonomous

Cyberattacks Called a Growing Threat to Trucking Industry

RALEIGH, N.C. — The threat of cyberattacks to the trucking and logistics industries is real, the number of attacks are growing and each attack has the potential to cripple a company, according to a panel of experts June 6 at the Fleet Data Management and Cybersecurity Conference here.

Burney Simpson | Staff Reporter
June 7, 2018
Business, Technology, Fuel

Freightliner Unveils All-Electric eCascadia, eM2 Models

PORTLAND, Ore. — Freightliner Trucks introduced the first all-electric versions of its heavy-duty Cascadia and medium-duty M2 models here, a major step toward bringing a full lineup of electric trucks to the North American market.

Seth Clevenger | Managing Editor, Features and Multimedia
June 6, 2018
Government, Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety

Safety, Insurance Costs Cited in Study as Reasons to Consider Autonomous Vehicles

As autonomous vehicles become more commonplace on our highways and roads, drivers of both trucks and passenger cars are likely to become more accepting of the technology, a survey of U.S. consumers by the market research firm J.D. Power found.

Dan Ronan | Senior Reporter
June 6, 2018