ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council is nearing the culmination of a multiyear effort to define the evolutionary direction of tractor-­trailer connectivity.

Fleets need real-time data from the commercial vehicles of today and tomorrow, and the ability to pose queries and communications regarding vehicle and systems operation status, cargo security and condition, and environmental and safety performance.

TMC is anticipating the ability to pursue several research projects under its agreement with FPInnovations/The PIT Group that had been deferred because of COVID impacts and restrictions. This partnership enables TMC to bring its own research projects directly to The PIT Group, including accessing on-track testing capabilities.

As the trucking industry and government regulators both seek to take advantage of productivity, safety and maintenance-enhancing opportunities presented by technology, are we about to encounter a wave that cannot be met with the existing tractor-trailer power and communications architecture?

Ever since digital antilock braking systems were mandated in the mid-1990s, an ever-increasing array of electrically powered, data-networked technologies have placed increased demands on the tractor electrical system and databus.

The Technology & Maintenance Council is evolving to contend with the necessary maintenance and specification issues that are arising as a result of two advanced technologies that are fast becoming part of today’s trucking scene.

So, you just got the call that your brand-new “was-­supposed-to-last-for-a-decade” Class 8 tractor slid off into the ditch. The decisions that you make during the repair cycle for that truck may be just as important as those you made in buying it.