Technology
Commercial freight transportation businesses rely on data, intelligence, and novel solutions for operational efficiency. Transport Topics technology coverage investigates available technologies, real-world applications of business solutions, and the strategies necessary for advancement. News topics focus on the latest applied science, and issues range from autonomous vehicle and robotics innovations to management software, tracking and transparency, data analytics, blockchain, and the internet of things.
In Shift to Electric Buses, China Is Ahead of US
Plodding down DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn is a bus moving under the power of an eerily quiet motor. It looks newer than most buses on the route, with a vivid digital display facing the driver and doors that part with a futuristic pneumatic swoosh. Commuters trundling aboard at rush hour don’t seem to realize this is one of the few electric buses—300 last year, to be exact—in America.
Britain Is Falling Behind in Employing Robots
The U.K. is falling behind in employing robots as firms make do with older machines or hire human workers.
Penske Joins Autonomous Vehicle Coalition PAVE
Penske Truck Leasing has joined Partners for Automated Vehicle Education, a coalition of industry leaders that seeks to educate and assure the public about automated vehicles, according to a news release from the two organizations.
Letter: Crash ‘Preventability’ Tough to Define
Transport Topics reports in its April 3 article entitled “Crash Not Your Fault? FMCSA Says Soon It Won’t Hurt Your CSA Score” that the agency intends to identify no-fault crashes beginning in August. The article states the agency will implement its test “preventability” study and incorporate it into CSA without rulemaking.
May 14, 2019Amazon Launches Click-and-Collect Counters With U.K.’s Next
Amazon is launching a delivery option that will let customers retrieve parcels from staffed counters at U.K. and Italian retailers, aiming to take advantage of the popularity of click-and-collect services across Europe.
Letter: A Future Vision for Diesel Engines
I read with a skeptical eye the article quoting Mr. Roger Nielsen on the demise of the diesel (Transport Topics 4-29, p. 1). It’s true that the clipper ship Cutty Sark had only a decade before the age of steam kicked her off her pedestal as the fastest way to transport tea, but I also wonder if Mr. Nielsen’s predicted demise of the diesel engine may turn out to be an exaggeration.
May 14, 2019Walmart Matches Amazon With Free One-Day Shipping on Many Items
Walmart Inc. wants to one-up Amazon.com in the fight for online shoppers. The world’s largest retailer is rolling out a next-day delivery service to counter Amazon’s recent move to speed shipment times for top customers to just one day from two.
VW Stock Gets Boost From Planned IPO of Heavy-Truck Division
Volkswagen AG shares climbed the most in two weeks after the German automaker revived plans for a partial offering of its Traton SE heavy-truck division and said it may dispose of two noncore businesses.
Amazon Says It Will Back Its Employees Who Quit Jobs to Start Delivery Businesses
NEW YORK — Amazon, which is racing to deliver packages faster, is turning to its own employees with a proposition: Quit your job, and we’ll help you start a business delivering Amazon packages.
OEMs Offer Over-the-Air Software Updates as Latest Advance in Truck Maintenance
Truck manufacturers increasingly are enabling fleets to update truck software and programming parameters “over the air” — an innovation that is saving days of downtime.