Technology

About Technology News...

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.

Government, Technology

Federal Highway Administration Partners With Inrix to Measure, Monitor, Report Health of Road Networks

Traffic data from Inrix Inc., a Kirkland, Wash.-based global provider of car services and transportation analytics, will soon be helping to shape the federal government’s thought process on highway and driver issues.

Theo Douglas | Government Technology
June 8, 2017

Daily 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.

Business, Technology, Logistics

How Mercedes Plans to Recapture Its Early Lead in Robo-Cars

Three decades ago, an experimental Mercedes-Benz van managed to steer, brake and accelerate on its own. But after the technology was refined enough to put an S-Class sedan through its paces on a highway around Paris in 1994, it was largely set aside as commercially unviable.

Elisabeth Behrmann | Bloomberg News
June 5, 2017
Government, Business, Technology, Equipment

Editorial: Growing Pains From Progress

With East Coast ports beginning to welcome the largest containerships capable of passing through the recently expanded Panama Canal, trucking will soon feel the effects of this new era in shipping.

June 5, 2017
Government, Business, Technology, Equipment

Tire Makers Work to Develop Product Lines That Promote Greater Fuel Efficiency

Tire makers say they continue to develop more fuel-efficient products ahead of tighter greenhouse gas emissions standards.

Fran Matso Lysiak | Features Editor
June 5, 2017
Business, Technology, Autonomous

Waymo Working on Self-Driving Truck

Alphabet Inc.'s self-driving car unit, Waymo, is working on developing self-driving trucks, the company said June 1.

June 2, 2017
Business, Technology, Autonomous

Japan to Finalize Strategy for Self-Driving Trucks, Delivery Drones

TOKYO — Japan aims to finalize on June 9 plans to allow package delivery by drone sometime around 2020 and the commercialization of self-driving trucks by 2022, as it scrambles to breathe new life into its corporate sector, sources told Reuters.

, May 31, 2017
Technology

Ryder Launches App to Track Freight in Real Time

Ryder System Inc. has launched a new cloud-based app available on iTunes and Google Play called Ryder NaviShare that allows trucking professionals and others in the supply chain to track freight in real time.

May 31, 2017
Business, Technology, Logistics

Opinion: Urbanization’s Effect on the Supply Chain

For the first time in almost 100 years, the rate of urban population growth has outpaced suburban growth. Americans are flocking to urban areas in large numbers — especially younger workers, or millennials, who view city living as a way to reduce commuting time and transportation expenses. At the same time, we are seeing the deindustrialization of center cities and changes to consumers’ lifestyle preferences.

May 29, 2017
Government, Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety

Telematics Providers Going Mobile to Expand Capabilities Outside of Cab

The mobile device revolution, started by the release of the first Apple iPhone 10 years ago this summer, has transformed the way fleets communicate with their drivers. For many years, fleet telematics relied solely on proprietary, fixed-mount units in the cab to serve as driver interfaces, but today many telematics vendors offer fleets the ability to communicate with their drivers through mobile devices, ranging from personal smartphones to proprietary tablets that can be easily removed from the cab.

Bruce Lilly | Special to Transport Topics
May 29, 2017
Technology, Safety, Autonomous

Smarter Cars Paving the Way for Robot Vehicles

Advanced driver-assistance features increasingly are embedded in cars you can find parked in dealers’ lots. Luxury makers such as Tesla and Mercedes-Benz began including them a few years ago, but now they have trickled down to many mass-market models, sometimes as options, sometimes standard.

Carolyn Said | San Francisco Chronicle
May 26, 2017