CCJ

26 commercial carrier journal | june 2015 I took a drive into the future last month, and it was pretty uneventful. I mean that in the most positive sense possible. Last month, Freightliner showcased to industry press the $80 million SuperTruck it previewed at the Mid-America Truck- ing Show in March. I was able to take a short circuit behind the wheel of this futuristic truck, skirting the perimeter of a wind- swept Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Between the high-tech trucks on the road and the U.S. Air Force fighter bombers roaring overhead, it was a pretty dramatic scene. But fun and educational. Finding Inspiration Before I got the chance to climb behind the SuperTruck's wheel, I had the opportunity to ride shotgun in Freightliner's new Inspiration truck, which was unveiled during a dramatic rollout at historic Hoover Dam. The Inspiration is, as you might have heard by now, the first fully licensed road-legal autonomous truck in North America. But in the cab, the vibe was more familiar than futuristic. Aside from some high-tech instrumentation and information centers, the comfortable truck feels similar to any luxury-spec'd Cascadia on the road today. I wasn't able to take the wheel because the state of Nevada requires an autonomous vehicle CDL endorsement. But the ride was enlightening just the same. My driver, Freightliner technical engineer Jim Martin, demon- strated the autonomous drive function on a stretch of Interstate 15 DrIvIng Into the future Freightliner's futuristic tractors spearhead trucking's evolution By Jack RoBeRts T E S T D R I V E : 2 0 1 5 F R E I g h T l I n E R S u p E R T R u c k Last month in Las Vegas, Freightliner showcased to industry press the $80 million SuperTruck it previewed at the Mid-America Trucking Show in March. Freightliner likes to say the SuperTruck is more of an evolution than a revolution, and CCJ Executive Editor Jack Roberts said his test drive reflected that sentiment.

• Cover Page
• JOURNAL NEWS: LEADING NEWS, TRUCKING MARKET CONDITIONS AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
• COVER STORY: SPEED DATING- Remember when driver job applicants lined up outside your office or kept your 1-800 number ringing off the hook? Recruiting really was that easy, but it might seem so compared to current the situation. That's why many fleets ar
• InBrief
• FEATURE ARTICLE: Natural gas: Reality check- By 2012, there was no bigger buzzword in trucking than natural gas, and OEMS and engine makers were ramping up for what was expected to be a game-changer for trucking efficiency. But lower diesel costs, coupled
• FEATURE ARTICLE: Working together- Every year more drivers and fleets are won over by automated manual transmissions because of their ease of use, fuel efficiency and safety advantages. Integrated powertrains were born out of the ability of vertically int
• FEATURE ARTICLE: Innovators- Fleetmaster Express: The Roanoke, Va.- based company buys new equipment and beefs up its pay package to maximize both customer and driver satisfaction.
• The future of trucking is here
• InBrief
• Cat brings some bling to new CT trucks
• Test Drive: 2015 Freightliner SuperTruck
• Volvo talks fuel efficiency, connectivity
• Severe Service: News from Mack, Daimler, Kenworth, Peterbilt, Ford
• Products: Lights, inverters, jump starters, more
• Ad Index
• Preventable or Not? John Doe's efforts to avoid a Corvett that swerved into his path caused him to jackknife and slide off the wet road and into a light pole. Was this a preventable accident?
• Upfront: Daimler, Volvo offer new visions for trucking
• InFocus: Routing software
• Dossier integrates Zonar inspection system
• Navman releases Drive fleet management platform
• InBrief
• Apps key to recruiting, retaining younger drivers
• Janam unveils XG3 rugged mobile computer
• Omnicomm creates fleet management app