Heavy Duty Trucking, April 2019

HDT APRIL 2019 16 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM Hotline Sandeep Kar Chief Strategy Officer FleetComplete SIGN UP FOR YOUR DAILY NEWS AT WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM HEADLINENEWS TRUCKINGS MOST RESPECTED BUSINESS REPORT The changes driving trucking are accelerating Change happens quickly in trucking and the pace of change will only accelerate in the coming years according to Susan Beardslee principal analyst at ABI Research Speaking at a session at Omnitracs Outlook user conference in Dallas Beardslee said that social changes such as an aging work force urbanization and traffic congestion have long been pointed to by forecasters as pushing trucking toward change Fleets have had to learn how to attract younger workers she pointed out But younger drivers are less likely to see the attraction of spending days at a time on the road and away from home To get past that many carriers have increased wages Meanwhile the federal government is considering how it might allow those 18 20 years old to hold interstate CDLs Beardslee noted that younger workers have different expectations about what technology can do Considered digital natives they grew up with smartphones mobile apps and other technologies and are thus likely to find older technologies boring Within transportation many companies are having major influences on change Beardslee mentioned such recent moves as digital freight matching firms and last mile and related white glove home delivery Government actions are also driving change such as recent rules mandating electronic logging devices or possible legislation to allow drone deliveries according to Beardslee Then there are the cyber threats that plague not just individual companies but also the entire supply chain The Department of Homeland Security created a task force on the threat to supply chain data and communications These threats are real she said Yet to be determined are the impacts policies to address them might have on how the industry operates Electrification and alternative fuels are also drivers of change Beardslee said And she argued that Its happening faster than anticipated especially with smaller commercial motor vehicles with some vehicles already on the road not just in the U S but worldwide While still down the road a bit advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicle controls have the potential to bring tremendous changes to the industry she said These systems are getting a tremendous amount of real world data with pilot projects around the world and here in several states And state and federal transportation officials are working to identify where these kinds of technologies might make the most sense Blockchain management platform technology and how it might benefit supply chains has also received a lot of attention Beardslee explained that the notion of an immutable and completely transparent ledger account of all transactions along a supply chain offers great potential as it would allow for proof of certification and compliance quality control and other factors However she contended that before these benefits can be realized more fully the entire supply chain from producer to supplier to carrier to the eventual receiver must be digitized Jim Beach QAfter years with Frost Sullivan you were attracted to your new role at FleetComplete because you see real time data and operational transparency about to transform trucking in radical ways correct A Yes It is palpable that digitization in trucking is driving profound changes and new opportunities on the supply side of our industry today Q And you feel this trend will change everything down to how we view trucks differently in the near future AYes For the past 100 years the basic business model in this industry has been Ive just bought a truck What should I do with it That concept is about to disappear forever OEMs are already realizing that at their core all trucks today are relatively similar They need some way of differentiating their vehicles from their competitors in an industry where service matters above all else and you have very high levels of regulation So OEMs now are starting to realize they have to offer trucks that help fleets excel in all aspects of their business The average truck driver is 45 years old So it has to be comfortable It has to offer fleets low total ownership costs It has to be a safe truck It has to be a connected truck But thats not where it ends Start up OEMs like Nikola Motors are taking these concepts farther saying Well sell you a truck Well help you find freight for that truck Well throw in advanced safety and driver assistance systems and even help you find a qualified driver to sit behind the wheel OEMs are realizing they have to offer solutions for a fleets entire business model not just provide the vehicle that enables them to enter into business in the first place Read the full interview at www truckinginfo com Kar