What’s the Big Deal?

David Galbraith, the vice president global brand and marketing at Mack Trucks, puts it this way: “Our new Truck Builder isn’t just an upgrade – it’s a complete reimagining of how customers interact with our products. We’ve created an immersive, user-friendly experience that brings the excitement of building a Mack truck to life in new and unprecedented ways.”

Basically, this new platform isn’t just about a few tweaks here and there—it’s a full-on revamp. Whether you’re into the Mack Pinnacle, Granite, Anthem, MD Series, or their electric models like the MD Electric and LR Electric, this tool lets you customize every single part of your truck.

Check Out Your Custom Truck in 3D

One of the coolest things? You can see your truck in full 3D as you build it. Spin it around, zoom in on the details, and even peek inside. Want to change the color? You’ve got tons of options. Need to pick out specific parts for the body, powertrain, axles, suspension, or chassis? You’re in the driver’s seat.

You can also view your truck from all kinds of angles—360 degrees, studio view, you name it. It’s like having your truck right in front of you while you’re still designing it.

More Than Just Looks—It’s the Whole Package

But Mack didn’t stop at making your truck look good. They’ve built in options for financing, plus a connection to their Mack Connect fleet performance portal. So, while you’re putting your truck together, you can also check out loans, leases, and insurance to see what fits best.

“By incorporating these essential ownership aspects into Truck Builder, we’re providing customers with a truly comprehensive view of what it means to own a Mack truck,” Galbraith said. “This tool not only allows customers to design their ideal truck but also helps them envision how Mack supports their business long after the initial purchase.”

Keep Your Truck Running Smoothly

Truck Builder isn’t just about picking out parts—it also helps you keep track of your truck’s performance. With Mack Connect, you can see real-time data, track where your truck is, and get important diagnostics. It’s all about keeping your truck in top shape. Plus, you can explore warranty options and service contracts to make sure you’re covered down the road.

Once you’ve got your truck all designed, the platform connects you with a local Mack dealer to make it a reality. And if you ever want to tweak something later, no problem—you can save your design and come back to it whenever you want.

“Truck Builder is more than a configuration tool – it’s a gateway to the Mack experience,” says Galbraith. “It embodies our commitment to innovation and customer service, allowing potential buyers to explore and spec their ideal truck when convenient for them.”

Source: Mack Trucks

Image: Mack Trucks

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Originally released in draft form for public feedback last October, the plan emphasizes enhancing road safety, mobility, and efficiency by leveraging technology that allows vehicles, wireless devices, and roadside infrastructure to communicate. This communication fosters a safer, more secure, and efficient transportation network while safeguarding privacy and consumer rights. These efforts are integral to the Safe System Approach, a key component of USDOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, launched in January 2022 to tackle the crisis of roadway deaths.

“The Department has reached a key milestone today in laying out a national plan for the transportation industry that has the power to save lives and transform the way we travel,” stated U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “The Department recognizes the potential safety benefits of V2X, and this plan will move us closer to nationwide adoption of this technology.”

Crafted through extensive collaboration between public and private sectors, the plan equips stakeholders with essential insights to support the safe, efficient, and sustainable deployment of interoperable V2X technologies across the country. It aims to accelerate investment, research, and deployment, ensuring “market certainty” in the V2X sector, according to Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology and Chief Scientist Dr. Robert C. Hampshire.

“The V2X national plan was made possible through collaborative effort between government, industry and stakeholders,” added Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “The plan represents a call to action in providing a framework for all of us to continue to work together toward the same goal of accelerating V2X deployment to save lives on our nation’s roadways.”

In tandem with the National Plan, the Federal Highway Administration recently awarded nearly $60 million in grants to three organizations to facilitate V2X technology deployment. These grants aim to unlock the full lifesaving potential of V2X communications, ensuring secure and interference-free connectivity across a diverse range of devices and platforms.

For more details on the V2X national plan and related grants, visit Connected/Automated Vehicles and Emerging Technologies.

Source: Highways.dot.gov

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“The interstates of Arkansas are a prominent workplace for the men and women in the trucking industry. Anything we can do to make the roadways safer for them and the motoring public is a win for everyone,” said Shannon Newton, Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) president. “We know that our carriers invest heavily in safety. Connected truck technology can amplify this by providing critical safety information to an exponential number of drivers when and where they need it most.”

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Arkansas Trucking Association (ATA) collaborated to launch a program delivering free in-cab safety alerts for professional drivers traveling on the state’s interstates and highways. Developed by Drivewyze, a company known for its e-inspection software that allows semi-trucks to bypass weigh stations, this new traffic data network is expected to save owner-operators and freight carriers time and money while reducing carbon emissions, reducing truck drivers’ frustration, and keeping them on the road.

Arkansas, home to some of the nation’s largest trucking operations, plays a crucial role in interstate truck commerce. I-40 consistently experiences heavy truck traffic. Commercial motor vehicles reportedly account for 60% of the traffic between Little Rock, Ark., and Memphis, Tenn. Officials are promoting the free in-cab alert system as a significant enhancement to highway safety.

“With so much truck traffic in our state, we wanted to find a way to inform truckers traveling on major roadways of sudden slowdowns,” said Joe Hawkins, state intelligent transportation systems engineer from Arkansas DOT. “It’s clear that if a truck driver knows of an upcoming sudden slowdown before he or she sees brake lights, accidents can be avoided. It takes a lot of time for a truck to slow down, and the extra time afforded by these alerts can make all the difference in preventing a crash.”

Drivewyze’s Smart Roadways service helps officials convey safety alerts directly to participating truckers. It monitors over 800 miles of heavily traveled truck routes in real time. Truckers receive virtual messages providing advanced warnings about unexpected collisions or incidents. For example, Arkansas truck drivers were alerted about the impact of the recent solar eclipse on highway congestion, advising them to take alternative routes. The Drivewyze Free service can be accessed at no cost to truckers through devices, smartphones, or tablets.

This innovative system aims to improve efficiency and safety for truck drivers, making Arkansas a part of the nine other states utilizing technology to enhance transportation for truck drivers.

Source: Truckers Report

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The innovative eRegs app provides fleets and operators with real-time access to the FMCSRs, coupled with educational resources from Trucksafe Consulting. Wiseman and Childress envision their eRegs app as a groundbreaking tool aiming to revolutionize how trucking companies and drivers engage with and comprehend the FMCSRs.

“For too long, carriers and drivers have purchased and relied on physical copies of the regulations, which do little to help them and their drivers actually understand the complexities of the regulatory text,” Wiseman said. “With eRegs, carriers have an always up-to-date version of the regulations at their fingertips on any of their devices, which they can annotate with highlights, bookmarks, and notes.”

Wiseman highlighted that the app offers access to educational materials curated by Trucksafe, aiding in a deeper understanding of regulatory intricacies.

eRegs presents fleets with a fully digital alternative to the traditional method of distributing physical regulation books to drivers, eliminating the need for costly and quickly outdated printed materials.

“Many carriers are paying thousands of dollars each year to source and distribute physical regulatory pocketbooks to their drivers,” said Childress. “It’s no secret those books are quickly outdated and often end up in the trash. With eRegs, fleets can easily add drivers to their accounts for a nominal one-time fee. From there, drivers can access the always up-to-date regulatory text right from their mobile devices, and carriers receive digital receipts to prove they’ve distributed the regulations across their fleet.”

The eRegs app seamlessly integrates with the electronic Code of Federal Regulations, guaranteeing access to the most recent regulatory text. User annotations and Trucksafe educational content synchronize across devices. Fleets and operators can explore the eRegs app with a complimentary 14-day trial and subsequently subscribe online at eregs.app. Subscriptions are available for $4 per month or $40 annually. Additionally, fleets can purchase additional driver invites for a one-time fee of $4 per driver, facilitating streamlined compliance management.

Source: Commercial Carrier Journal

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The recently published Trucking Trends Report 2024 by WorkHound identifies key issues within the industry that are actionable and have existing solutions available. For all of them, technology emerges as a critical tool, but navigating the multitude of options can be overwhelming.

Here’s a look at the key issues along with their solutions, backed by tech.

Personnel: Operational inefficiencies, including poor planning and maintenance issues, can strain the relationship between management and the workforce. Technology solutions exist to streamline operations, empowering dispatchers to efficiently plan routes, monitor progress, and provide real-time updates to drivers.

Dispatch: Concerns about miscommunication and lack of support in dispatch operations are prevalent. A communication platform tailored for the industry can bridge these gaps, offering seamless interaction between dispatchers and drivers, thereby enhancing efficiency.

Financial Implications: Operational decisions impacting drivers’ earnings, such as inefficient routes, underscore the need for technology that enables optimal route planning and resource utilization.

Logistics: Challenges in load management and planning persist, necessitating solutions that prioritize smart features for clear trip planning and in-transit load updates. User-friendly platforms that facilitate two-way communication and data transfer further enhance operational efficiency.

Work/Life Balance: Personal well-being, including concerns about poor scheduling and feelings of disrespect, underscores the importance of technology that supports efficient route planning and automates manual processes to free up drivers’ time.

Addressing the insights from the report necessitates a strategic approach. Leveraging technologies that enhance operational efficiency, communication, route planning, and work/life balance is key. By embracing such solutions, the trucking industry cannot only overcome its current challenges but also pave the way for sustained growth and prosperity for the trucking industry as a whole.

Source: Commercial Carrier Journal

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Engineered to enhance fleet efficiency and vehicle uptime, the Halo Connect i3 boasts features such as integrated pressure sensing, remote pressure set point adjustment, configurable alerts, and personalized inflation settings.

“We’ve got a brand-new inflation offer, completely connected, which now unlocks the Halo solution for all medium-duty fleets and is a better and more performant product for our traditional heavy-duty product,” said Ralph Dimenna, Aperia’s chief commercial officer.

The product was introduced at a news conference on March 4 during the 2024 Technology & Maintenance Council Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition.

“This brings a whole bunch of firsts to the market,” Dimenna said. “We are bringing dynamic set point configuration, monitoring, and adjustment. These are fully connected inflators. You can communicate to those inflators two ways through all the different protocols.”

He also highlighted that customer feedback emphasized the demand for tire management technology applicable to diverse types of assets.

“It works on trailers, it works on medium-duty assets, and it works on heavy-duty assets,” Dimenna said. “We now have a single, fleetwide, comprehensive program that we can offer to our customers.”

The latest Halo system provides wheel analytics for each wheel position, offering flexibility for customization at the individual terminal, fleet-wide, or even down to a single truck.

“You can see at any given time exactly what is going on with every single tire on the vehicle,” Dimenna said.

Taking into consideration environmental conditions, such as temperature, around the vehicle, the system ensures the prevention of false alerts.

Dimenna emphasized that Aperia’s algorithms, tested over nearly 100 billion real-world road miles in the past decade, underscore the system’s reliability and robustness.

“That gives you unparalleled capability to understand what is going on with the product, what is going on with your tire, what’s happening with that inflation, and how do I tune my maintenance program to take advantage of that,” he said.

Source: Transport Topics

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CEO Drew Ryder highlighted the shortcomings of current fleet communication methods, predominantly text-based or phone calls, citing their inefficiency and potential distractions. Ten5’s voice platform eliminates these barriers, providing a streamlined communication experience for drivers.

“The main goal here was that we wanted to make it completely hands-free with no level of distraction so they’re not having to look down at the device and touch things,” Ryder said.

Accessible through an app on any Android device, such as a tablet with an ELD in the truck’s cab, the voice platform is activated with a simple “Hey Ten5” command, akin to popular voice assistants like Alexa or Siri. Drivers can then specify the message type – urgent, comment, or complaint – and articulate their message. The platform, detecting the completion of the message, replays it and seeks confirmation for sending.

Once a driver sends a message, it reaches the dispatcher or fleet manager, who can respond or forward it to relevant administrators like safety directors, maintenance managers, or HR personnel. Back-office staff can access the platform via a web browser, requiring only a computer with a microphone and speaker.

Addressing the challenge of managing large groups of drivers assigned to a single dispatcher, Ten5’s platform offers two fleet-initiated communication methods: direct messages to a single driver or broadcast messages to a group of drivers. This addresses communication gaps that can lead to safety and retention issues.

“If I’ve got 50 drivers and 10 of those all wanted something from me at the same time, they’re going to get frustrated because you can’t get to all 10 at the same time,” Ryder said.

The platform categorizes messages into urgent, comment, or complaint, enabling fleet managers to prioritize responses. It provides analytics on message types, recording reception times and issue resolution durations. Ryder emphasized the platform’s value in maintaining the chain of custody for messages, ensuring promises made to drivers are visible and facilitating better organization and access to conversations.

“That for us is a key metric in driver satisfaction and reducing frustration because from everything we’re seeing and hearing, the main reason drivers are leaving fleets is because they just don’t feel they’re being heard; if they have a concern, it’s not being acknowledged enough, and there’s no communication,” Ryder said. “If the driver has said something, and a promise was made to them, that’s all available for everyone to see, and now there’s less, ‘I forgot about that. I didn’t get to that’ because the platform enables managers to be more organized with better access to conversations.”

Beyond improving retention by fostering a sense of team inclusion and issue resolution, the platform enhances safety through its entirely hands-free design. Evidence suggests that frustrated drivers are less safe, exhibiting more aggressive behavior and reduced care for equipment and customer service. The platform’s broadcast communication method allows fleets to send mass messages on safety, fuel efficiency, traffic alerts, or company-wide bulletins. It also enables scheduled messages, surveys, and aggregated response reports.

“We humanize the connection with the driver and fleet management,” he said. “We believe voice is a critical method for communication because it’s very personal, particularly if it’s in the voice of a leader. We convey a lot more than just words with voice. There’s also emotion; people can pick up on nuances.”

Furthermore, Ten5’s platform aids in connecting fleets with new drivers, allowing back-office staff to send personalized or mass messages throughout the crucial first 90 days of employment. This proactive engagement helps reduce turnover, and drivers can respond to these messages.

Ryder highlighted the platform’s potential for expansion and evolution based on fleet feedback, emphasizing its capacity for deeper analysis of daily conversations.

“Our voice experience right now is pretty basic; it just messages back and forth,” he said. “To do some of that analysis that I referred to earlier, we’re essentially building this domain-specific large language model behind it with the idea being that whether you’re a driver or a back-office person, you can simply query that to get an answer to a question … and it just will allow faster access to information so they can make decisions.”

While planning aggressive product enhancements, Ten5 aims to stay within the communication and business intelligence segment of the trucking industry.

Source: Commercial Carrier Journal

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The AI system excels in automatically recording trailer numbers upon truck arrival, efficiently matching them with scheduled appointments.

“RXO’s visual AI technology is already producing positive results at our Laredo, Texas facility, including reduced wait times at the gate,” said Yoav Amiel, chief information officer at RXO. “This advanced technology speeds up the process for carriers and helps shippers save time and money. We’re thrilled to continue to use machine learning and AI to provide our shippers and carriers with cutting-edge ways to make their operations more efficient.”

Tasks that were traditionally managed manually by employees—such as noting truck information and directing them to the appropriate warehouse dock or yard spot—are now streamlined through this automated check-in system.

“This led to truck backups at the gate during the check-in process due to high traffic, manual documentation and typing errors,” according to a news release.

This cutting-edge solution is integrated with RXO’s Yard Management System, facilitating automatic appointment matching by capturing and correlating relevant information with scheduled appointments. Upon a truck’s arrival, the system promptly notifies staff and provides them with all the necessary information.

RXO plans to implement this system across its various locations throughout the year. Furthermore, the company aims to offer the AI-powered check-in system as a standalone service to other organizations, extending the benefits of this technology beyond its own operations.

Source: The Trucker

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By leveraging geofencing and photo verification capabilities, QuikSkope empowers shippers and brokers to confirm the physical presence of a driver associated with the hired carrier at the pickup location before the release of a pickup number.

In the event of fraud detection or failed verification, QuikSkope withholds the pickup number release and promptly notifies customers via email. Customers can then review the provided photo and take action by manually approving the pickup number release or contacting the carrier to address identity verification failure. Incidents involving bad actors are instantly reported and documented in real-time, with QuikSkope sharing its findings with those actively pursuing criminals and con artists.

“We’ve all experienced first-hand the devastating financial results of freight fraud and the snowball effect it can have on relationships between carriers and brokers,” said Michael Fullam, QuikSkope’s founder. “Our goal with QuikSkope was to make it as simple as possible for drivers to navigate the verification process and for brokers and shippers to respond. Clicking a text message link and uploading a quick photo encourages compliance by eliminating the need to download and employ yet another application, and ultimately secures the full chain of custody.”

While existing supply chain verification tools predominantly focus on vetting carriers before hiring to ensure accurate identities and proper operating authority, QuikSkope introduces an additional layer of security at the individual load level.

Its primary objective is not to replace the existing vetting process but to complement it, ensuring that the selected carrier and driver are indeed the ones executing the load. This approach significantly reduces the risk of double brokering, according to the company.

QuikSkope provides deployment flexibility, allowing users to implement it on a per-load basis or opt for a subscription plan. With its advanced features, QuikSkope aims to enhance the overall security and reliability of supply chain operations for all stakeholders involved.

Source: Overdrive

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The DOT has recently launched the Transforming Transportation Advisory Comittee (TTAC). The OOIDA wants to ensure that the goal of this committee is driver and road safety.

“TTAC must ensure that future technology regulations and policies result in safe, secure, affordable, and equitable deployment for new technologies,” said OOIDA President Todd Spencer. “Further regulations should not just benefit tech manufacturers or the larger trucking companies that can purchase the equipment but must support a safe and productive workforce that improves the quality of trucking jobs.”

This aligns with the ongoing efforts of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in developing rulemaking that leverages technology to enhance safety, encompassing areas such as autonomous vehicles, speed limiters, and automatic emergency braking systems. The OOIDA had comments on all of these topics.

“Despite the various claims that automated vehicles will lead to zero deaths, there continue to be real-world situations in which automation has devastatingly failed,” OOIDA wrote. “For truckers who must share the road with these vehicles to do their job, an accident caused by autonomous technology could put them out of business and cause serious injury or death.”

Moving on to speed limiters, OOIDA warned about excessive speed differentials.

“By establishing a one-size-fits-all federal mandate restricting heavy-duty CMVs to a speed that is separate from passenger vehicles, this regulation would create dangerous speed differentials between CMVs and other cars,” OOIDA wrote. “Decades of highway research shows greater speed differentials increase interactions between truck drivers and other road users, and studies have consistently demonstrated that increasing interactions between vehicles directly increases the likelihood of crashes.”

They also shared their concerns about automatic braking systems (AEB).

“While there are many operational concerns about AEB systems, truckers are especially worried about the potential for false activations,” the Association wrote. “As you can imagine, drivers are alarmed the 80,000-pound truck they are driving could unexpectedly brake to a complete stop for no reason.”

OOIDA is particularly cautious about the adoption of Beyond Compliance policies by FMCSA, urging against rewarding larger trucking companies for investing in unproven safety equipment.

“OOIDA members are concerned that Beyond Compliance has the potential to give an advantage to only those motor carriers who can afford costly new technologies,” the Association wrote. “If these motor carriers are rewarded with better public safety scores, then smaller carriers would likely see their scores downgraded without any actual change in their safety performance.”

Furthermore, OOIDA advocates for DOT to actively engage with real truckers who navigate highways daily, emphasizing the significance of listening to those with firsthand experience rather than relying solely on representatives from large fleets.

“We urge TTAC to gather input from owner-operators and independent truckers, many of whom have driven millions of miles without any crashes, in determining the most effective safety policies and programs that should be included in any of the committee’s trucking recommendations,” OOIDA wrote.

As the trucking industry evolves, OOIDA’s stance reinforces the call for regulations that prioritize the safety and well-being of drivers on the road.

Source: Land Line

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