Every fleet owner or owner-operator knows that there are endless add-ons they can put in their trucks if they’d like to—and that list is only becoming bigger thanks to many innovative companies producing credible technologies. Nowadays, truckers can incorporate hardware and software systems in their trucks, providing advantages in their daily fleet and trucking operations. That’s because the trucking industry is varied, encompassing numerous sub-industries.
With so many fleets facing their unique challenges and complexities in doing business, these technologies are only becoming more crucial. Thanks to manufacturers keeping with demand, trucking technology is becoming more accessible, accurate, and less taxing.
That said, here are the six newest trucking technologies.
Electric Vehicles
As a fleet owner or owner-operator, you’ve likely heard of the ‘hysteria’ surrounding electric cars. Still, this technology is more than mere ‘hype,’ it’s revolutionary—and thanks to that concept, it’s poised to change the automotive sector forever. With more advanced motor coaches, RVs, family vehicles, and trucks, break-downs will be less common and lessen the need for repairs. Such advancements spell a seismic shift to the industry while reducing accidents from self-driving and assisted technologies, saving more time, money, and lives.
You’ve likely heard about the renowned electric car company Tesla and its autonomous electric trucks. However, several companies like Nikola and Volkswagen join in the trend, making inroads into the future’s electric trucks. Because of the dedication and technological advancements these manufacturers produce, trucks continue to be leveraging the best technologies for better efficiency and safety. The innovations include lane-assist and assisted braking features, leading to ‘true’ autonomy in trucking operations.
Dynamic Routing
In trucking or fleet operations, truckers often move goods or workers from point A to point B or deliver to deliver—and the route you take to do these things is everything. Dynamic routing can add the adjustability and data to inform the paths taken, particularly with traffic and weather information in real-time. This technology allows truckers and operators to trim out necessary miles and find faster and more convenient routes or maps around traffic backups or major collisions while on the road with continually updated GPS details.
Operators may fold in additional stops to improve route density, decreasing the distance traveled from one delivery to the next. Dynamic routing provides more convenient journeys to owner-operators and general truck drivers, and it’s only becoming smarter. All these reduce time and cuts down on fuel use, all major cost items for fleets. Getting more accurate and generally better trip-planning information optimizes truck routes every day and every time—helping keep drivers and equipment sufficiently used, control costs, and maximize service efficiency.
Collision Mitigation Technology
Research has proven that ‘heavy’ trucks are overrepresented in collisions and fatalities, meaning they get involved more often than any other type of vehicle because of their large mass and size—quickly causing severe damages to smaller automobiles. Although crash data shows that it’s the passenger vehicle driver who’s at fault most of the time, any heavy truck collision results in costly insurance claims and lawsuits for both sides. That’s why for the safety of both public safety and your finances, reduce avoidable collisions.
You can do this by investing in an advanced collision mitigation system, allowing them to use ‘sensing technology’ and monitor for crashes of different kinds and how to avoid them.
Dash Cams
Like driver-facing cameras, dash cams can help fleet owners monitor their drivers’ actions while on the road. For instance, a dash cam can track the driver’s speed and brake reaction, determining how safe they operate on different road situations. Thanks to this, fleet owners can manage their drivers’ actions and allow their management team to stay in contact with drivers, increasing safety for drivers. Plus, dash cams can help protect owner-operators and fleet owners alike from expensive legal issues.
Trailer Tracking
Trailer tracking technology makes it easier for fleet owners to locate and manage the usage of their assets, significantly preventing loss. Adding a GPS tracking system alongside a system that can monitor the occurrences inside the trailer can warn a fleet if those trailers are in high-theft locations. This technology provides better visibility of expensive assets that trucking businesses have.
Additionally, this provides wireless sensors in the Internet of Things, providing data to feed into a fleet management system through personal devices like smartphones or tablets.
As technology advances, it continually changes how industries evolve and operate, including the trucking industry, making the jobs of fleet owners, owner-operators, and truckers easier and more convenient—and the truck technologies mentioned indicate bigger things for the trucking sector.
