Technology

Daimler Trucks North America announced Penske Truck Leasing and NFI Industries will operate the first trucks in its Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleet of battery-electric eCascadia heavy-duty trucks and eM2 106 medium-duty trucks beginning late this year.

Interest in solar panels has grown because truck batteries often are unable to meet the power needs of today’s trucks due to increased driver comfort demands, new idle reduction legislation and increased freight-tracking requirements, according to the North American Council for Freight Efficiency.

It’s not just hands-free driving that self-guided cars may bring into reality. Autonomous vehicles could unleash new technological and economic development on a level not seen since the dawn of the space age.

Amazon.com’s ever-expanding retail empire is going to need more workers and vehicles to get millions of packages to shoppers’ doors. To do so, the web retailer is encouraging people to start their own delivery businesses.

Six months after the electronic logging device mandate went into effect, this LiveOnWeb program explores the impact the change has had on the trucking industry.

Elon Musk has called lidar a crutch. The Tesla CEO believes he can build self-driving and semi-autonomous cars without relying on the technology, which uses lasers to help the cars map and navigate their surroundings.

Volvo Trucks North America and FedEx Corp. demonstrated on June 27 a platooning system with three twin trucks on a stretch of Route 540 in North Carolina, one of 10 official test sites for driverless cars designated in 2017 by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany — Equipment and technology supplier ZF showcased a hybrid-electric version of a heavy-duty automated transmission along with all-electric steering and power options that the company said will help commercial fleets meet growing global demand for cleaner operations and better fuel economy.

A group of transportation departments representing southwestern states has applied for a federal grant to develop a system that informs truck drivers of parking availability along Interstate 10. The transportation departments of Texas, Arizona, California and New Mexico, which together make up the I-10 Corridor Coalition, applied for the grant June 18.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany — The leader of global supplier ZF believes that commercial applications for automated technology could soon become a reality in certain controlled situations, but believes broader deployment in congested and high-traffic areas will take awhile.