ALDENHOVEN, Germany — ZF Friedrichshafen unveiled its latest advances in automated driving technology for trucks, including emergency steering to avoid imminent collisions and a highway driver-assist system that automatically keeps the vehicle in the lane while maintaining safe following distances.
July 1, 2016BusinessAutonomous
Why Will the Feds Let Robots Drive Trucks but Not Trains?
Peter Mills sees an inconsistency. One arm of the U.S. Department of Transportation is recommending two-person crews be required for freight trains as another plans to spend billions to help develop driverless technology for longhaul trucks.
June 30, 2016PerspectiveBusinessAutonomous
Opinion: Pre-buying Could Cost Fleets in the Long Run
The trucking industry is notorious for pre-buying trucks before each Environmental Protection Agency-mandated change in heavy-truck engines. Many fleets do so because they are concerned about the reliability of the new technology, or they are trying to avoid the increased cost of new technology. Both are valid concerns.
June 27, 2016BusinessEquipmentAutonomous
May Truck Sales Fall 19.5%
U.S. retail sales of Class 8 trucks in May dropped 19.5% as the downturn rolled on for a sixth consecutive month and still has not hit bottom, analysts said.
June 20, 2016PerspectiveBusinessGovernmentAutonomous
Opinion: The Truck Driver Shortage Is a Myth
Truck drivers, for the most part, don’t stay with one company for long. They go elsewhere quicker than they can be replaced.
June 20, 2016EditorialBusinessAutonomous
Editorial: What Goes Up . . .
In many ways, this should not be a surprise: After several years of scorching new-truck sales, the market is rapidly cooling.
June 13, 2016GovernmentBusinessSafetyLogisticsAutonomous
Federal Grants Awarded to Help Reduce Trucking Border Congestion
Transportation agencies in New York, Michigan and Washington on June 3 received federal grants to improve the way they issue traffic alerts to truckers crossing the Canadian border.
June 10, 2016GovernmentBusinessSafetyLogisticsAutonomous
Canada Targets US Truck Washes in Fight Against Killer Pig Virus
Canadian farm groups are blasting U.S. truck washes for being too dirty to prevent the spread of a virus that has killed millions of piglets in recent years, exposing a dispute over the effectiveness of such facilities in North American agriculture.
June 10, 2016PerspectiveBusinessGovernmentSafetyAutonomous
Opinion: Election Brings New Challenges for Trucking
As chairman of the American Truck Dealers, the challenge for all of us — truck manufacturers, trucking companies and dealers — is to build relationships with members of Congress and federal regulators so that we have a voice in shaping the environment in which our businesses operate.
June 6, 2016GovernmentBusinessSafetyAutonomous
Delays in Approving Hair Testing Aid Drug Abusers, Officials Warn
Delays in adopting federally mandated pre-employment hair drug-testing standards potentially have allowed hundreds of truck drivers who failed hair drug tests to drive for another carrier, according to fleet and medical executives.
June 6, 2016