Equipment
Commercial freight transportation is a machine-based business. Highly technical equipment and advanced engineering are at the center of supply chain and require constant innovation. Transport Topics equipment coverage focuses on the machines and other physical assets that make delivery possible. It looks closely at available truck, trailer, and chassis models, developments in the engineering space, and maintenance innovations and best practices.
Driverless Delivery Startup Uses $92 Million to Focus on Safety
In an abandoned lot on the outskirts of Sacramento, Calif., R1, a domed gray vehicle half the size of a Toyota Corolla, is practicing driving itself. It stops at stop signs, yields to people, and handles sharp turns, as other self-driving vehicles do on test courses in Silicon Valley, Detroit, and China.
June 11, 2018Daily Briefings from Transport Topics
Transport Topics has partnered with Spoken Layer to make one-minute daily briefings available on all your smart devices. Simply say “Alexa, play Transport Topics” or “Okay Google, talk to Transport Topics” to get the day’s biggest trucking headlines.
Experimental Starship Initiative Truck Completes Cross-Country Test
A Starship landed in Jacksonville, Fla. But there were no aliens on board, just 40,000 pounds of reef-building material hauled cross-country in an experimental lightweight truck with streamlining everywhere.
Ford Refuses to Rush Into Robo-Taxis, Even After GM, Waymo Deals
General Motors Co. and Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo rocked the auto industry last week with self-driving deals that will have each deploying thousands of robo-taxis onto U.S. roads over the next 18 months. Ford Motor Co., meanwhile, will continue biding its time.
Defining Driver Responsibility When Trucks Begin to Drive Themselves
As truck makers and technology developers work toward introducing vehicles with some level of automated driving features in the years ahead, it will be essential for drivers to have a clear understanding of what those systems can and cannot do and how much they can rely on them.
June 8, 2018Driver Turnover Puts Pressure on Large Carriers
The rise in freight being carried nationwide led to a rise in truck driver turnover in the first quarter as large trucking firms demanded more qualified drivers to transport goods.
KLLM Announces Another Pay Increase for Drivers
KLLM Transport Services will institute another pay hike for company drivers, bringing the increase to 30% in just the past eight months, the Jackson, Miss.-based over-the road carrier announced.
June 8, 2018Roadside Repairs by Fleets Rose 21% in 1Q, Study Says
RALEIGH, N.C. — Fleets saw their roadside breakdowns increase by 21% in the first quarter this year compared with the fourth quarter of 2017, according to the Truckload Vertical Benchmarking Study from American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council and FleetNet America.
North American Class 8 Orders Continue Strong Growth in May
Orders for new Class 8 trucks more than doubled last month versus year-ago levels, according to preliminary data from ACT Research.
Sacramento Begins Experiment With Digital License Plates
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The digital license plate on display outside Sacramento City Hall on June 4 does a lot of things other technology can already do.
Cyberattacks Called a Growing Threat to Trucking Industry
RALEIGH, N.C. — The threat of cyberattacks to the trucking and logistics industries is real, the number of attacks are growing and each attack has the potential to cripple a company, according to a panel of experts June 6 at the Fleet Data Management and Cybersecurity Conference here.