IDB Tech. Key to Integrating Systems

The use of Intelligent Data Bus technology to make electronic systems in trucks more efficient and less costly doesn’t appear to be far off, but several hurdles remain.

At meetings held earlier this year by The Maintenance Council, an affiliate of American Trucking Associations, officials agreed that a worthwhile goal is to develop a system that would allow them to choose from any navigational technology on the market and install it on a truck without any customization — the way it’s possible to purchase and install a radio in most cars.

IDB technology, which uses electronic networks to improve communication between components, provides interconnectivity and networking capabilities for better integration of equipment on a vehicle. Better integration would allow truck operators to install equipment such as navigational and communications devices more cheaply and operate them more efficiently.

“You’ll see vehicles coming out in the year 2005 with navigation and traffic information systems. Hopefully, you’ll be able to plug them in and they’ll work,” said Arlan Stehney, president the IDB Forum, a Pittsburgh-based association that promotes IDB technology. “The real vision is the ease of it — the interconnectivity of the systems that makes them plug-and-play. You’ll get added functionality that you can’t get now.”

For the full story, see the Dec. 20 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.