Technology Briefs — Dec. 4 - Dec. 11
ust click here to register.
The Latest Headlines:
- Axonn Updates Asset-Tracking Hardware
- Dana Joins Transport Technology Consortium
- EPA Certifies Caterpillar’s Heavy-Duty Engines
- Indiana Toll Road to Offer Drivers Electronic Passes
- Postal Service Expands Mail-Sorting Technology
- Dana Joins Transport Technology Consortium
Axonn Updates Asset-Tracking Hardware
Axonn, which makes tracking devices for the trucking in-dustry, has unveiled an updated version of its AXTracker technology, the company said late last month.The new unit, known as the AXTracker MMT, can be programmed through a wireless network, Axonn said. In addition, the new unit provides one-way communication, and does not require an external power source.
Dana Joins Transport Technology Consortium
Heavy-duty component manufacturer Dana Corp.’s Commercial Vehicle Systems group and Western Michigan University’s College of Engineering and Applied Science said they have joined a new consortium to develop computer-simulation technology for the transportation industry.Other companies in WMU’s Center for Advanced Vehicle Design and Simulation consortium are Eaton Corp., Mann+Hummel and L3 Communications. Members also include two government laboratories — the Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center in Warren, Mich., and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Knoxville, Tenn.
Through its membership in the CAViDS consortium, Dana will participate in or sponsor research projects; test emerging technologies; and utilize the consortium’s advanced design and simulation technologies.
The consortium is aimed at providing new computer-simulation technology and knowledge to the motor vehicle industry, particularly in the areas of vehicle design and analysis. Transport Topics
EPA Certifies Caterpillar’s Heavy-Duty Engines
Two of Caterpillar Inc.’s heavy-duty engines were certified by the Environmental Protection Agency to meet EPA’s 2007 emissions standards, the company said last Monday.Caterpillar said it received the required certification for its C13 and C15 engines, which use the company’s “Acert” technology.
Spokesmen for most engine manufacturers, including Caterpillar, said late last month they were on the verge of receiving EPA certification for their heavy-duty ’07 units. (Click here for previous coverage.) Transport Topics
Indiana Toll Road to Offer Drivers Electronic Passes
Drivers on the Indiana Toll Road will be able to use electronic passes on the highway by next fall, the private company that operates the road said, the Associated Press reported.The pass, similar to Illinois’ I-PASS, will give users discounts on higher tolls that are coming, a spokesman for ITR Concession Co. told AP.
The pass, expected to be introduced next spring, is part of a $40 million electronic toll collection project mandated by the toll road lease and will give motorists a faster, more convenient drive, the spokesman said.
Gov. Mitch Daniels’ (R) administration in June finalized the 75-year lease of the northern Indiana highway to Spain’s Cintra and Australia’s Macquarie Infrastructure Group. (Click here for previous coverage.)
The consortium, which formed ITR Concession, has paid the state $3.8 billion and will collect the highway’s toll revenue over the term of the lease, AP said. Transport Topics
Postal Service Expands Mail-Sorting Technology
The U.S. Postal Service is improving its technology to sort “flats,” — large envelopes, magazines, catalogs and circulars, it said.Known as the “flats sequencing system,” the initiative was approved Wednesday by USPS’ board of governors allows the agency to move forward with plans to employ sophisticated equipment to sort flat-mail pieces for letter carriers, who now must manually sequence this mail before leaving the office for their routes.
USPS “experienced significant benefits in the 1990s by automating the processing and sequencing of letter mail, and we hope to extend these improvements to the processing of flats,” said Walt O’Tormey, the USPS’ vice president of engineering.
The FSS equipment is designed to sequence flat mail at a rate of approximately 16,500 pieces per hour. Scheduled to operate 17 hours per day, each machine will be capable of sequencing 280,500 pieces per day to more than 125,000 delivery addresses. Transport Topics
