Technology

HANOVER, Germany — The global truck manufacturers and suppliers exhibiting here at the massive IAA Commercial Vehicles show expressed a broadly shared vision that connectivity, automated driving and electric power are the dominant trends that will mold the future of commercial vehicles.

Of all the freeways in the United States, the most productive corridor for self-driving trucks appears to be Interstate 5 through Washington and Oregon, according to a report released this week by the Kirkland, Wash.-based Inrix data company.

Records keep falling. U.S. trailer orders reached 38,200 in August, the most ever for the month, ACT Research Co. reported.

The U.S. Senate has gained more time to finalize a transportation measure that includes a key trucking provision prior to a Sept. 30 deadline now that it has approved a fiscal 2019 defense funding bill.

HANOVER, Germany — Volvo Trucks exhibited an autonomous truck concept that entirely removes the cab from the tractor and highlighted its investments in electric vehicles at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show.

Audi introduced its first electric SUV on Sept. 17 in California, where its primary competition, Tesla, is based. Audi also has struck a deal with online retailer Amazon to provide equipment for recharging the new midsize SUV, according to a report by Reuters.

BERLIN — Dozens of European countries are backing a plan to increase the use of hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels to cut the continent’s carbon emissions.

All it took to draw the U.S. Justice Department into investigating Tesla Inc. was a single tweet by Chairman Elon Musk. But now that prosecutors have a toehold, they can dig in to look for other signs of misconduct at the electric car maker.

Commercial vehicle supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG announced it would spend 12 billion euros over the next five years on its e-mobility and autonomous driving technologies aimed at a logistics industry in need of new vehicles to deal with rising delivery volumes and clean air issues.

ORLANDO, Fla. — FedEx Freight technician Phillip Pinter earned the title of 2018 TMC SuperTech Grand Champion during the fall meeting here of American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council.