CCJ

December 2014

Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal

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54 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2014 T he pace of technological change in trucking over the past decade has been breathtaking. Commer- cial vehicles rolling off assembly lines now boast standard and optional features that would have been unthinkable on high-end luxury cars just a few years ago. The proliferation of technology has penetrated virtu- ally every aspect of truck design, from GPS-oriented telematics systems to computer-controlled integrated powertrains, high-pressure common-rail fuel injection systems and Bluetooth systems that enable drivers to talk on the phone safely. Trucks increasingly are becoming rolling robots with an ever-increasing ability to "think" for themselves. This technology push has reached such unprecedented levels that several OEMs are testing fully functioning "driverless" trucks, and it appears that some level of autonomous driving functionality may become commonplace within the next 20 years. Yet, more fleet managers are becoming less than enthusi- astic concerning trucking's technological explosion. That's because all the new technologies found on today's commer- cial vehicles come with tradeoffs – and some fleets say they cannot see an end to the new problems that have piggy- backed these high-tech models. The most glaring unwanted burden has been skyrocketing truck prices. OEMs point out that many of the new tech- nologies – particularly emissions and engine systems – are the result of government mandates. The cost of developing these systems can total hundreds of millions – if not billions – in research and development costs. There is simply no way, OEMs say, they can avoid passing these costs along to fleets. At the same time, the exponential leap in new and ad- vanced technologies found on today's trucks is stressing the Some fleet managers and truckers pine for a dependable, affordable truck without all of today's bells and whistles. Can they rewind the clock? BY JACK ROBERTS

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