A growing number of fleets are turning to an alternative energy source — the sun — to help meet the growing demand for power on board their trucks.

Modern trucking companies are swimming in data collected by their onboard technology and back-office software, but fleet managers are using a variety of strategies to utilize that information for driver coaching and other business improvements.

Mack Trucks is working to rebuild its Western presence and grow its Class 8 market share in the region with its latest models. 

If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it. That old business adage may not apply in all cases, but it does capture the essense of a growing movement toward data-driven decision-­making in trucking.

The arrival of the electronic logging device mandate later this year is widely expected to create significant ripple effects across the supply chain.

CPAP machines need a continuous source of power. This can be a challenge for drivers on the road, particularly as the required power draw on trucks has increased with the addition of onboard electronic control modules and drivers’ increased desire to operate the electrical components for comfort and enjoyment.

Today, the use of electric trucks is confined mostly to niche specialty and shorthaul operations, but the advances made in those applications could carry over to the longhaul Class 8 market.

Technological advances soon could make electric Class 8 tractors feasible for longhaul applications, but rather than relying solely on plug-in battery systems, those trucks likely will incorporate other power configurations such as hybrid solutions and hydrogen fuel cells.