trucking technology trendsIn recent years, we’ve watched technology revolutionize the biggest industries in the world. The trucking industry could be next. With our current era of accelerated technological progress, innovation is inevitable.

Rapid application of new tools could transform the way the trucking industry operates before we know it. From the truck driving simulator to the electric semi truck, a vastly different looking process of transporting goods could be on the not-so-distant horizon.

Trucking Technology Supports Green Initiatives

President Joe Biden’s push for zero emissions has put electric trucks back in the news. With a growing number of prominent federal lawmakers directing their attention to combatting climate change, more focus has been put the production of motor vehicles that emit no waste products that pollute the environment or disrupt the climate. This new demand for environment-friendly transportation, coupled with our ongoing technology boom, creates a unique opportunity for electric semi trucks to burst onto the trucking scene.

People who work in the trucking industry are aware that curbing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is in all of our best interests. Fossil fuel reductions in personal vehicles have become highly popular. And although the challenge of developing a semi-truck that runs without diesel may have seemed impossible, electric heavy commercial trucks are expected in the coming years.

Many companies are already trying to step up and become the leading electric transportation company. Tesla touts their electric semi as the “safest, most comfortable truck ever,” also claiming it provides maximum power and acceleration while requiring the lowest energy cost per mile. Volvo is releasing a new regional hauler electric semi truck in 2021, but they’re only able to offer 150 miles of range between charges. The Nikola Two by Nikola Motor Company, however, is starting small-scale production of their electric semi in 2021, which offers up to 900 miles of range per charge.

Suppliers are yet to iron out all of the kinks that come with inventing a new market within the automotive industry, still facing major obstacles such as scale, price points, and battery technology, among other issues. Despite these problems, at some point transportation professionals should be ready for a massive influx of electric trucks in the industry.

Truck Driving Simulator

New technology is reshaping the way driving trainees prepare for their CDL test and future career in the trucking industry with the truck driving simulator. This new invention allows students to learn how to operate a massive commercial motor vehicle by accelerating their knowledge skills, and experience, without ever facing the dangers of actually getting behind the wheel of a real semi.

Truck driving simulators provide students with first-hand experience to see what driving a big rig is actually like, teaching them how and when to shift gears, what their sight lines are, and how it feels to be in the driver’s seat of a tractor trailer, but they don’t have to feel the fear and intimidation that comes with driving a truck for the first time. Anxiety levels are far lower when operating an 18-wheeler simulator when compared to really driving an 18 wheeler, allowing inexperienced student drivers an opportunity to learn.

Truck simulator training is valuable to trucking technology and to the trucking industry at-large for a number of reasons. First, truck simulators provide a fantastic, safe alternative for students who are not yet ready to drive a big rig. Additionally, students can learn hands-on skills, like shifting, significantly faster. Moreover, simulators reduce the cost of truck repairs because beginning drivers often wreak havoc on the trucks that they use to prepare to get on the roads. Truck driving simulators have received high praise from many of the top CDL training programs and it’s reasonable to suspect that these simulators will continue to grow in relevance in coming years.

Self-Driving Semi Trucks

Some companies are also trying to launch tractor trailers that are completely self-reliant from pickup to delivery with no human on board. San Diego startup company TuSimple is set to test its self-driving semi truck as early as this year with the goal of proving that a “driver-out” trucking demonstration isn’t just a science project, but rather an innovative advancement in engineering that has a lot of advantages. By 2024, TuSimple plans to start selling their driverless trucks to fleet operators.

Autonomous trucking companies have received their fair share of blowback because of the logistics and safety of their undertaking. Many believe that no matter how much technology is implemented or how smart trucks get, they’ll always need to have a driver behind the wheel. A future of trucking without truck drivers seems unlikely, as the government will inevitably get involved in the process of regulating any self-driving semi, heavy-duty trucks will always require skill and intuition from the driver, and the supply of autonomous semi trucks isn’t nearly large enough to satisfy the vast trucking industry.

Convenient Lifestyle Technology for Semi Trucks

Much like the car, SUV, and pickup truck industry, semi-truck manufacturers have made electronic pleasantries standard trucking technology items in the latest models. Many of the recent models are outfitted with Bluetooth capabilities, integrated GPS systems, SIRIUS radio options, the latest climate control systems, and many others.

truck driving technologyThis trend only makes good common sense given that truck drivers spend more time on the road than people in just about any other occupation. Truck makers have also gone a step further by readying semis for upgrades and personal options. Many of the late-year models can seamlessly be accessorized with these and other helpful gadgets.

  • Mini Refrigerators
  • Coffeemakers
  • Video Screens for Downtime
  • WiFi Boosters
  • Echo Dot (Alexa)

Basically, any electronic gadget that a car, SUV, or pickup truck can utilize, today’s semis can handle in spades. Hard-working Americans need not surrender their lifestyle while delivering America’s goods and materials. And like the car manufacturing industry, heavy load trucks have never been easier to handle.

Automatic Transmissions Trending in Truck System Technology

The age of steering wheels that required significant upper-body strength to handle has gone the way of the dinosaur. Many of the other hyper-physical aspects of working as a trucker are extinct as well. Late-model semi-trucks utilize the same next-generation technologies as even high-end automobiles. Enhanced power steering, advanced braking systems are standard in new models.

What may surprise people considering a high-paying career as a professional trucker is that more and more semi-trucks are coming off assembly lines with automatic transmissions. Yes, people who were once worried about their ability to manage a heavy truck’s shifting in critical situations can put that apprehension behind them. The fundamental thinking behind this trend is that automatics can improve driver safety in the following ways.

  • Reduced shifting allows truck drivers to improve focus on the road.
  • Removing unnecessary shifting helps reduce driver fatigue.
  • Reduced shifting improves a driver’s ability to take defensive action in critical situations.
  • Automatic transmissions enhance vehicle performance.

Truckers won’t miss a beat as automatics emerge as the new normal because automatics don’t miss a gear.

Improved Safety and Convenience in Truck System Technology

As fleets swell their ranks with the latest, technologically advanced semi-trucks, decision-makers will have a wealth of add-ons to consider. Trucking technology experts have taken a long look at the operations side and created options that can improve safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. These are optional technologies that many trucking companies are finding beneficial.

Routing Technologies

This offshoot of truck tracking allows fleet managers to review the time and efficiency of deliveries as the truck moves from stop to stop. Hand-selected or traditional routes can be re-examined for inherent time deficiencies that may arise from traffic, road construction or other impediments. Known as “dynamic routing,” emerging technologies allow for rerouting or rethinking pickups and deliveries using hard data. Shaving time off routes can prove valuable.

Dash Cams

If you have watched a police show on television, it’s abundantly clear these devices provide fact-based information. Fleet operations are finding that the advanced technologies in dashcam video add-ons can save them money by lowering the risk of potential collisions and fraudulent insurance claims. When a crash occurs at no fault of the trucker, the dashcam video provides evidence.

Truck Driver Scoreboards

This technology reviews driver habits and identifies areas that may require improvement or further training. Driver “score-carding” has proven beneficial for upstart drivers who may have habits such as hard braking, excessive acceleration, and other areas that put people at unnecessary risk. While carriers enjoy the cost benefits of improved fuel efficiency and lower the risk of accidents, it can be a useful tech mentoring tool for beginner drivers.

Collision Technology

Emerging collision mitigation systems are re-inventing the tools truckers have at their disposal to avoid crashes. It’s well-known that personal vehicle drivers are not always aware of the necessary safe distance required for a fully loaded truck to effect a complete stop. Newer semi-trucks are being equipped with improved sensor technologies that monitor crashes ahead and assist drivers in taking defensive actions. Some of the new sensor systems are being retrofitted into older vehicles and those with outdated technologies.

Many of these new inventions should be embraced as they will usher in a more profitable, environmentally friendly, and safe life on the road in the coming years.

Trucking Jobs | CDLjobs.com

Authored By:

Kate Williams

CDLjobs.com has been a leader in the trucking industry since 1999, connecting truck drivers with companies hiring drivers. Kate Williams is the company EVP and CFO with over 30 years experience in finance.