Industry News Briefs Courtesy of PMTA
U.S. Army Launches Live Test of Self-Driving Trucks
The U.S. Army tested technology to power a driverless truck convoy along an empty stretch of Michigan highway Thursday as part of the first step toward a network of fully autonomous cars and trucks.
The state government’s partnership with Warren, Mich.-based U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, or TARDEC, also raised the possibility that Michigan will be ground zero in developing autonomous technology for commercial trucks.
“We have a shared interest in a lot of the advanced capabilities and technologies that not only enable our military to succeed in combat but also enable our commercial industries,” said Paul Rogers, director of the Army’s research center.
TARDEC is developing its vehicle-to-infrastructure capabilities to increase safety, reduce distracting tasks and carry supplies for soldiers, he said.
Report Finds New Oil Blends Could Improve Fuel Efficiency Up to 1.5%
Two new low-viscosity oil lubricants set to come onto the market, CK-4 and FA-4, will improve fuel efficiency in heavy-duty trucks between 0.5% and 1.5%, according to a new report from the North American Council for Freight Efficiency. The report recommends carriers with Class 8 fleets switch their oil from a 15W-40 heavy-duty blend to the new CK-4 variant of the lighter 5W/10W-30 when it becomes available at the end of the year.
Eventually NACFE would like to see carriers switch to FA-4 variant with 2017 diesel engines, which could add another 0.4% to 0.7% in fuel savings. Both new variants emerged from what was first known as Proposed Category 11 or PC-11. NACFE recommends fleet owners use a conservative 0.5% estimate when calculating the return-on-investment and making a final decision. Executive director Mike Roeth told reporters call that about 20% of trucks in the industry are planning to adopt these new oils.
Industry invests at least $9.5 billion in safety each year, ATA report shows
A first-ever research initiative by the American Trucking Associations reveals that the trucking industry invests at least $9.5 billion in safety annually.
“We know this industry prioritizes and invests in improving safety on our nation’s highways,” ATA Executive Vice President of National Advocacy Dave Osiecki said Wednesday concerning the landmark report. “With the results of this survey, we now can put a dollar figure on that investment and that figure is significant.”
Sean McNally, ATA vice president of public affairs and press secretary, said the genesis for the study was informal discussions within the ATA about how much had been invested in safety initiatives within the industry.
ATA decided to quantify a dollar figure.
The $9.5 billion annual figure breaks down over four broad categories:
• On-board Technology: Collision avoidance and mitigation systems, blind spot warning systems, stability control, video event recorders, electronic logging devices and other safety technologies.
• Driver Training: Safety training, staff wages and consultants, safety retraining and coaching and hazardous materials training.
• Safety Pay: Awards and bonuses based on improved safety performance.
• Regulatory Compliance: Motor vehicle and driver record checks, drug and alcohol testing, voluntary safety audits, safety staff wages and benefits as well as safety consultants.
ATA Pleased by FMCSA’s Proposed Crash Preventability Determination Project
Today, American Trucking Associations expressed their gratitude that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would be launching a pilot program to allow carriers to have non-preventable crashes stricken from their record.
“Since FMCSA began using crash history to rate motor carriers’ safety, ATA has argued that crashes a driver could not have prevented shouldn’t be counted on a carrier’s safety record,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “Today’s announced pilot project is a step toward that goal and we appreciate FMCSA adopting ATA’s call to provide a way for carriers to strike these tragic, but non-preventable crashes from their record.”
Under FMCSA’s proposed demonstration, carriers would be able to challenge certain crashes where it is plainly evident the commercial vehicle is not at fault. FMCSA proposed to include crashes in which an opposing motorist was driving under the influence, driving the wrong direction or struck the truck in the rear or while it was properly parked. Also included are single vehicle accidents involving an animal strike, suicide by truck or infrastructure failure.
“ATA hopes this demonstration project is a step toward a more robust and complete system for carriers to dispute and ultimately strike crashes that were not the fault of the commercial driver,” Graves said. “We look forward to monitoring FMCSA’s progress as they advance this important program. By improving crash accountability and data, FMCSA can improve the performance and accuracy of the CSA monitoring system – a goal ATA wholeheartedly supports.”
Class 8 Orders Fall to Nearly Six-Year Low
North American orders for Class 8 trucks in June fell to the lowest point in nearly six years, ACT Research Co. reported. The 13,100 total — a preliminary tally, which will be revised later this month — was the lowest since the third quarter of 2010 and down 35% compared with 20,287 a year earlier, according to ACT.
“Class 8 vehicle orders continued to lose traction in June,” ACT President Kenny Vieth said in a statement.
Last month, Volvo Trucks North America, a unit of the Volvo Group, announced production cuts at its Dublin, Virginia, plant in “the early August timeframe,” given the continued decline in Class 8 orders.
Daimler Trucks North America, a unit of Daimler AG, also said in June that it plans to cut 1,240 jobs across most of its North American production facilities starting in late June as it anticipates a 15% decrease in Classes 6-8 retail sales from 425,000 units in 2015. Together, the two truck manufacturers control about 60% of the market. At the same time, June orders also fell 8% from the May total of 14,224.