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.
Tuned In
Longhaul trucking can be a difficult and isolating job, but some fleets have turned to electronic in-cab entertainment to keep drivers connected and boost their job satisfaction. And when drivers are satisfied, better retention and recruiting numbers often follow.
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FMCSA Grants Truck Renting and Leasing Association a Limited Five-Year ELD Exemption
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced that it is granting the Truck Renting and Leasing Association a five-year exemption from a federal requirement that all trucks be equipped with electronic logging devices to record drivers’ hours of service.
VW to Roll Out Electric Trucks, Buses in $1.7 Billion Project
Volkswagen AG is flanking its push into electric cars with plans to roll out battery-powered commercial vehicles targeted at urban areas as growing public concerns about air quality boost demand.
Iowa DOT Seeks Volunteers for Self-Driving Car Research
Some of Iowa’s leaders in automated vehicle research are seeking volunteers to help test the results of high-definition mapping and data collection.
Tesla’s Model 3 Bottlenecks Delay Unveiling of Semi-Truck
Tesla Inc. pushed back the reveal of its semi-truck by three weeks as CEO Elon Musk focuses on boosting production of the cheaper sedan that the electric-car maker is counting on to dramatically increase sales.
It’s No Use Honking. The Robot at the Wheel Can’t Hear You
As auto accidents go, it wasn’t much: twelve minutes before noon on a cool June day, a Chevrolet Bolt was rear-ended as it crawled from a stop light in downtown San Francisco.
Ports of Seattle, Tacoma Face Chassis Shortage
Truck drivers are facing a shortage of chassis to haul 40- and 45-foot containers from the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, according to The Northwest Seaport Alliance.
GM Buys Lidar Startup Strobe to Accelerate Self-Driving Cars
General Motors announced Oct. 9 that it is buying Strobe, a Pasadena startup that makes lidar, a laser-based sensor that most autonomous vehicles use to see the world around them.
Craig Schneider Takes Over as President, Firestone Industrial Products
Firestone Industrial Products has named Craig Schneider president.
October 9, 2017Orbcomm Bolsters Freight Telematics Business With Purchase of Blue Tree Systems
Orbcomm Inc. moved to fortify its global freight telematics service with the purchase of Blue Tree Systems Limited International, a company based in Galway, Ireland, but with extensive business in the United States, Germany and France.