Heavy Duty Trucking, April 2018

HDT APRIL 2018 36 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM The T in TMC Jack Roberts Senior Editor jroberts@ truckinginfo com Maintenance managers are the ones who are going to have to figure out how to make technology work keep it running and push for a healthy return on the investment Jack has become known for his reporting on advanced technology such as intelligent drivetrains advanced driver assist systems autonomous vehicle technology truck platooning and alternative fuels Can be reached at jroberts@ truckinginfo com or 310 533 2521 he 2018 annual meeting of the Technology Maintenance Council of the American Trucking Associations is in the books And once again this association of fleet maintenance professionals covered the full array of issues facing commercial vehicle operations today from wheel end thermal events to solving problems with S cam brake adjustment And as is also the norm these days the conference spent a great deal of time looking at emerging truck technology Even if many of the grizzled veterans in attendance arent fully convinced that some of the innovations eventually will be of value for fleets there is a grudging admission that some of this technology will come on line soon And that means theyre the ones who are going to have to figure out how to make it work keep it running and push for a healthy return on the investment Whether or not they ultimately adopt emerging technologies such as hybrid drivetrains autonomous vehicle systems or all electric trucks it wont change a very basic problem TMC members face each and every day They dont have the people they need whether its on the maintenance side of the truck or in the drivers seats According to ATA President Chris Spear who spoke at the TMC Town Hall Meeting officially kicking off the gathering in Atlanta last month the trucking industry is currently short 50000 drivers and may need twice that many to keep freight moving in as little as two years time While no specific numbers were given on the current diesel technician shortage its a given that there arent near enough qualified technicians available Add to that a culture change that has taken place over the past decade or so The painful memories of the unprecedented fuel price spikes of the aughts seared into the brain of every fleet executive who lived through the experience Achieving the best fuel economy possible is a basic job requirement for any serious fleet manager today All of which brings us back to emerging technology There are true believers in driverless trucks who are suggesting that the industry skip over the expected human in the cab intermediate phase in of autonomous technology and go straight to Level 5 vehicles with no humans in the vehicle as soon as possible Thats not likely to happen But even the most skeptical fleet manager is likely to give Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous technology a close look if it makes drivers lives easier and even helps attract new talent to the industry The same holds true for truck platooning which holds the promise of fuel economy boosts for Class 8 trucks beyond what you can do with the vehicle design aero add ons or driver training And a platoon capable truck is by default a vehicle packed to the gills with the latest in active vehicle safety systems Which means fewer accidents fewer lawsuits fewer lawyers and fewer insurance premium payments Likewise electric trucks hold the promise of helping out with myriad fleet management issues All electric vehicles have far fewer moving parts to contend with which translates into less required maintenance work and the need to have fewer technicians on hand They dont burn fuel so that can mean savings for fleets running gasoline or diesel powered trucks today And they give fleets a break on current and future emissions regulations which show no signs of abating How all of this will eventually play out and what the various timelines will be is anybodys guess But as an institution TMC is working hard to find the answers to those questions FUTURE FLEET T