Truck Technology Keeps Advancing

Today’s trucks don’t look dramatically different from models manufactured in the past couple of decades. But peek beyond the exterior appearance and the incredible transformation that big rigs have undergone recently becomes clear.

“We have a lot more computing power on a truck now than the space shuttle had when it was running, and there’s a lot more to come,” said Bill Kahn, advanced concepts manager at Peterbilt at the recent Technology Maintenance Council (TMC) conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Add in all the tools now used by drivers and trucking companies — GPS navigation, electronic logging devices, telematics, dashboard cameras, etc. — and you have an industry that is often ahead of the curve in incorporating cutting edge technology into its business model.

What’s coming up

Meanwhile, attendees, exhibitors and panelists at the TMC meeting had plenty of current truck technology to discuss.  Eaton announced its GearLogic technology, which works hand in hand with Cummins ADEPT electronic features in its ISX15 engine to make it easy to drive a big rig safely and efficiently, no matter what the driver’s experience level. Truck-Lite introduced a real-time trailer light monitoring system that uses microprocessor technology to detect failure and alert the driver.  TrackPoint Systems and Stemco teamed up to produce a tire pressure and mileage monitoring tracking for untethered trailers. It was designed to prevent whether a parked trailer has properly inflated tires before being dispatched.

Of course, the big prediction for the future is the autonomous truck, but that’s still a ways away. For now, the next big step in automation could be active steering, with a driver sitting at the wheel to take over when necessary. Alan Korn, director of advance brake systems and integration at Meritor Wabco, said “We live in very exciting times. We can do almost anything with technology today, but we have to make sure we do the right thing and provide a payback.”

That tech shortage again

Amid all the good news came a pained discussion of who was going to fix all this stuff when things went wrong. The technician shortage, while not yet at a critical stage, is fast heading that way. The most disturbing fact? That the students who are attending schools to learn the trade are not being taught the skills they need for today’s trucks. That disconnect falls squarely on the industry, which needs to take an active role in developing curriculums with technical schools.

George Arrants of WheelTime truck service, told attendees that in addition to workshop skill, the next wave of technicians need training in science, technology, engineering and math, commonly known as STEM courses.

“In most schools, the only kids who are exposed to STEM courses are physics kids who do it in theory,” Arrants said. “We have much more tech on our trucks than almost anything else that moves in the world.”