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Commercial vehicle supplier Meritor Inc. announced a realignment of its three operating segments to further drive its long-term strategic objectives while assigning new responsibilities as part of the company’s commitment to leadership development.

The Department of Energy’s SuperTruck project is producing technological changes, including to auxiliary power units, and these changes will be working their way into standard truck manufacturing, according to industry experts.

Auxiliary power units allow truck drivers to have climate control for their sleepers and electricity for hotel loads without needing to idle the tractor engine, but fleets that elect to add APUs to the cab must decide how those APUs will be powered — by a small diesel engine or by batteries.

Troubleshooting problems with a truck’s electrical system takes knowledge and experience.“Always take a systems approach when you are spec’ing and maintaining your vehicles’ electrical systems,” said Bruce Purkey, CEO of Purkey’s Electrical Consulting, which helps fleets solve their electrical system problems.

Like some other small trucking firms, Old Forge Services of Mogadore, Ohio, has turned to glider kits to reduce maintenance expenses and downtime.

Tesla’s announcement in November that it will produce an all-electric Class 8 tractor by 2019 helped highlight the potential for electric power in commercial trucking. But while Tesla and others are electrifying the entire truck, some companies are focusing on the axles.

Engineering advancements are producing more efficient alternators for heavy trucks that are helping to reduce fleets’ fuel bills, industry experts said.

It’s a measure of the current frenzy surrounding self-driving cars that a year-old startup can haul in more than $100 million in its first fundraising round.