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Photo via NPR.org

Step aside, Uber and Google, a career trucker is making history for self-driving tractor trailers.

Jeff Runions, autonomous-truck test driver, prepares the future of the trucking industry. As he told NPR, Runions works for Starsky Robotics. They are a small company developing fully autonomous trucks for the highway. The trucks are driven by professionals once the trucks got off at the exit.

As truck drivers continue to decrease in numbers, Runions hopes autonomous trucks will be a huge opportunity for the industry to keep up with demand. In his interview with NPR, he says automated vehicles would allow drivers to spend less time on the road and more time at home with their families.

This would be a drastic change from the three weeks of on-road time he remembers from working on his own and with a commercial trucking company. In fact, Runions would like to see drivers having a “regular life” with a 40-hour work week. By making drivers’ lives more enjoyable, he hopes to spike interest in the industry from potential drivers.

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Volvo released a concept truck getting people talking. The incredible $40 million machine seems rather pricey for a semi-truck. The fancy new model sure is getting a lot of attention, even if it won’t hit the road anytime soon. The truck is still “cost-prohibitive,” truckinginfo.com wrote of the vehicle, but the knowledge gleaned from this grand experiment will apply to future Volvo programs.

The goal of the Volvo SuperTruck project is to build vehicle prototypes that push the boundaries of both fuel and freight efficiency.

Göran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North America, called the Volvo SuperTruck project a “knowledge accelerator.”

“We wanted to see what we could take from the project and get into our customers’ hands even before the project finished,” he said. “We found some significant improvement that we could add to the existing VNL lineup.”

truckinginfo.com

Enhancements featured in the 2017 engine lineup, which Volvo says increase fuel economy by 6.5%, include:

  • a new piston design that improves combustion and reduces soot production,
  • common rail fuel injection, and
  • turbo compounding for the Volvo D13 engine to capture wasted energy from the exhaust stream and convert it to mechanical energy

And of course it’s hard to ignore the overall aerodynamic look of the truck.

The smooth sweeping shape produced a 40% reduction in aero drag, not missing a corner. Since this is a concept truck and not a practical model, even the cab entry steps were covered up and the mirrors replaced with cameras.

Some of the technologies on the SuperTruck aren’t likely to become used daily in CDL trucking jobs for a long time to come. But it sure is fun to dream.

For CDL truck drivers, the joy is in the journey. Follow us on social media here and join the conversation.

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Any driver knows, it doesn’t take long to lose your concentration or even doze off at the wheel. So, those with CDL trucking jobs would be wise to have some sort of alert in place. The website Coolest-Gadgets.com highlighted a Anti-Sleep Alarm. It’s one that can be a valuable tool for those with CDL driver jobs.

This Anti-Sleep Alarm is a two-finger ring that will let you know you’re starting to nod off before you actually do. If it works as intended, it will let you know up to 5 minutes before you start to slip into slumber. It charges via micro USB cable, and while it says it has a long battery life, that doesn’t mean it’s going to live through a 10-hour drive of constant use. The method of alarm it uses is vibration, and it should buzz for about 2-3 seconds when it goes off so that it’s sure you don’t “miss” feeling it.

Costing $189, the alarm is made of an allergen-proof material and requires no special setup. It’s available for purchase on amazon.com.

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Men’s Health magazine wrote a great article on gadgets you should keep in your car. Well, we have news. Everything featured in the article is also perfect gear for CDL truck drivers to have on their trucks. The next time you’re in a roadside jam, CDL drivers, turn to one of these great tools to power you back on your way. As Men’s Health says, “keep this gear with you, and you’ll be prepared to tackle any problem that arises when you’re behind the wheel.”

Leatherman Rebar

This slick, 17-tool gadget will help you MacGyver your way out of any jam. Stick it in your glove compartment and bust out the needlenose pliers or serrated knife when you need to put your fix-it skills to use, fast.

Antigravity Battery

You never know when you’ll need to jumpstart your car—or someone else’s. This pocket-sized battery comes with jumper cables as well as several outlets for charging your laptop, cell phone, camera, or tablet while you’re on the go.

Autoxscape 3-in-1 Emergency Tool

Tool #1 is just a flashlight, but tools #2 and #3 will save your life. If you’re in an accident and need to escape your car fast, they will safely cut your seatbelt and smash your window.

Jaco Premium Digital Tire Inflator

Imagine just passing the last exit on the highway for 15 miles or being in the middle of nowhere when your low tire pressure light comes on. Total bummer—unless you stash this gadget in your trunk.

Pull over, whip it out, and fill up your tire. No gas station (or quarters) required.

A Snow Shovel

Keeping a snow shovel in your trunk is a no-brainer for anyone in the northern half of the country, but if you choose the wrong one, your back will be barking at you for days. Suncast’s SC39050 shovel has a nice ergonomic design and a steel strip that prevents wear.

Auto Expressions Glove Box Organizer

We know you’re a model driver—a perfect citizen of the road who’d never exceed our state highways’ perfectly reasonable speed limits.

But if you do get pulled over, you don’t want to be fumbling through your messy glove compartment to find your necessary paperwork. This keeps everything neatly in one place, so you won’t look like a schmuck.

3-Port USB Car Charger Adapter from FosPower

If you’re on a long trip, you’ll need to stay charged up—and so will your travel companions. This adapter lets you charge three phones or tablets at the same time.

Never grab fast food on a long road trip again. Pack your own meals and store them at the perfect temperature with this genius thermo-electric system.

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overdriveonline.comTruck parking is a little easier now with the launch of a new mobile app called Park My Truck. The new app connects people with CDL trucking jobs to free parking spots across the United States.

Overdrive magazine covered the new app in a news story, saying:

With the app, public and private truck parking providers, including truck stops, rest areas and more, update the number of available parking spaces at any time to help drivers determine if open spaces exist at a given location. The app resulted from an initiative between the National Association of Truck Stop Operators (NATSO), the NATSO Foundation, the American Trucking Associations and the American Transportation Research Institute.

The app includes the total number of parking spaces at more than 5,000 truck stops.

NATSO says independent and chain truck stops participate in reporting their available spaces. These represent more than 150,000 truck parking spaces.

When a driver opens the app, he/she searches for parking spaces. The search remains within a certain distance of their current location, up to 250 miles, Overdrive writes.

Drivers also search by state or along an interstate.

“We have ways to let drivers know where the spaces currently exist, which is why this app serves so valuable,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. Directing drivers to safe parking spaces will give them the opportunity to get the rest they need and the off-duty time they are required to have.”

Sometimes the solution is right at your fingertips. Follow Drive My Way on Facebook here as we strive to create solutions in the industry, too.

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trucks.com

Bill Graves retired from his position as president and chief executive of the American Trucking Associations earlier this year. But the longtime trucking executive still has a lot to say about where the industry is headed. In a guest column for Trucks.com, Graves opines about the most daunting challenges facing the trucking industry today, and he makes some interesting observations:

As I step aside as president and chief executive of the ATA, I look ahead to the issues that will define our industry going forward. Here are five of great significance.

A growing and critical shortage of labor

Trucking has a shortage of drivers and of technicians. While some may dispute this, every measure from ATA’s economics team and nearly every conversation I have with those in the industry highlight the fact that trucking companies have trouble attracting qualified drivers and technicians to keep America’s trucks moving.

trucks.comAs our trucks grow more and more complex, with more and more advanced technology, it will become even harder to find professional, dedicated technicians to maintain these vehicles.The simple solution to both of these issues is to improve the image of our industry and improve the pay of those who work in it. Both of these things are happening, and will continue to happen, so long as there’s a shortage of labor.

Development of automated vehicle technology

Whether it’s called driverless or automated or smart, the rapid development of automated vehicle technology has the power to transform our industry in many ways. We see the need for these systems in the market today. They improve safety and efficiency, and from here the technology only advances.

However, unanswered questions remain as we head down this path. We need to ensure that these technologies don’t compete with one another.

Movement toward alternative fuels

While the industry enjoys affordable diesel fuel prices, this situation loses sustainability overtime. As the economy grows, demand for oil (and the gasoline and diesel fuel it produces) puts pressure on prices.

Graves adds that these are just a few of the issues that trucking will face as it moves forward. “One thing is certain,” he says. “Regardless of these challenges, the trucking industry continues to serve a vital part of our nation’s economy. It moves America’s goods safely and efficiently.”

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trucking gear

CDL Life magazine wrote a fun article about the kind of tech professional truck drivers dream of. With technological creations advancing more each day, there’s no telling what cool gadgets truck drivers will have access to next.

Until then, CDL Life asked truck drivers to imagine new technologies and equipment that would make their CDL trucking jobs easier.

Here’s what truck drivers told the magazine in response.

RoadPro Pro Driver Council member Tom Kyrk said he would like to see a ramp to help dogs get in and out of truck cabs easily and a fitness tracker designed especially for drivers (regular ones are thrown off by the vibration of the truck).

Fred Weatherspoon doesn’t like to carry weights in his cab because they can become missiles in the event of a crash. He wants an in-cab exercise system that’s safe, easy to use and doesn’t take up too much space.

All the cords hanging under her dash have Maggie Stone wishing for some sort of universal harness into which she could plug her phone, GPS, dash cam and other electronics. The Iowa livestock hauler also would like to see a storage device for under her bunk, “kind of like a gun rack,” that would hold her cattle prod and paddle and 5th wheel puller.

Florida-based Allen Wilcher and partner Sierra Sugar said they would like to see a truck leveling system like the kind found in RVs — and room in the cab for an herb garden.

There’s no way to know if any of these devices will be invented, but given the history of the trucking industry, it would be surprising if none of them were.

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A new app for people with CDL trucking jobsHaulHound officially launched a new app that connects shippers to owner operators. They released it at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, Texas. The launch took place Aug. 26, when HaulHound released an app- and web-based platform that allows owner-operators to upload their truck and routing information and shippers to search for carriers that fit their load parameters. Overdrive wrote of the launch:

The service is free to both parties, as the system is advertiser supported.

Traditional loadboards feature shippers and brokers posting loads and truckers searching for them. However, HaulHound effectively flips the script. Owner-operators and carriers post details about their truck, their capacity, and desired lanes. Then, shippers and brokers search for capacity.

HaulHound says the system focuses on owner-operators who work the spot market.

In addition to listing their equipment type and specializations, owner-operators list price points. So, any calls they receive from brokers or shippers are legitimately priced, says HaulHound’s Andy Kim.

The company says it plans to release routing tools and automated freight-matching in coming iterations.

Read more about this product on Overdrive.com here.

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truckinginfo.comA new Accident Reporting App guides those with CDL trucking jobs through the accident reporting process and keeps administrators informed in real time.

Truckinginfo.com wrote about the app, touting its usefulness in the trucking industry.

The app leads the driver step by step through the process and documents every vital aspect of the event. It assembles it into a comprehensive accident report. Also, the app features an animated, seven-chapter training video that teaches drivers in advance about proper accident protocol and crash scene conduct.

“The motor carrier has long held the disadvantage when it comes to crash defense,” said Brendan Dawson, founder and CEO of Accident Plan. “That’s due, at least in part, to the driver not having proper tools and training with which to adequately handle a stressful crash scene event.”

Accident Plan was built from scratch

It helps drivers focus on the task at hand and for motor carriers who need to proactively manage their claims. An annual subscription to Accident Plan costs $25 per driver. The app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play store.

Read more about the Accident Reporting App here.

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truckinginfo.comJeremiah W. Nixon, Missouri Governor vetoes platoon program for testing automated long-haul trucks using platooning technology.

In a recent story about the governor’s veto, Heavy Duty Trucking magazine elaborated on the reasons behind it.

In a letter explaining his veto, Gov. Nixon said that establishing a pilot program for testing platooning vehicles on Missouri highways could put the public at risk. He specifically referenced an accident involving a self-driving Tesla car that led to the death of an Ohio man as an example of the danger automated driving technology could pose.

“Automated driving technology advanced significantly within the last several years. However, the long-term safety and reliability of this technology remains unproven,” Nixon stated. “That fact was tragically highlighted with the recent fatality involving a self-driving passenger vehicle.”

According to Heavy Duty Trucking, in the May 7 Tesla incident driver Joshua Brown died while using the Autopilot feature of his Tesla Model S.

A white tractor-trailer made a left turn in front of the Tesla at an intersection, but the autopilot failed to “see” the vehicle and did not brake. The Autopilot’s cameras were unable to recognize the white trailer against a brightly lit sky.

However, Governor Nixon felt platooning posed an even greater risk to the public. It requires multiple large trucks to travel in tandem with little separation and synchronized braking and acceleration.

“The risks associated with automated vehicles are even greater considering the size of long-haul trucks and the catastrophic damage that could occur if the technology failed,” he stated. “Using Missouri highways as a testing ground for long-haul trucks to deploy this unproven technology is simply a risk not worth taking at this time.”

Read the full Heavy Duty Trucking story here.

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