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Trucking Technology

New Custom Chassis in the Works for Autonomous Driving Vehicles

December 17, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Autonomous driving is dominating headlines in the trucking world, as more and more fleets turn to the innovative technology to boost potential safety numbers and mitigate traditional trucking challenges.

Some of the latest efforts in autonomous trucking come from Daimler Trucks North America, which is working to create a custom Class 8 chassis that will integrate SAE Level 4 driving support. This innovation is a collaboration with Waymo, a major autonomous technology company.

SAE Level 4 tech is a system of automated driving allowing a truck to self-drive without a driver needed in the cab as backup. Typically, automated driving systems allow for a truck to follow strict, specific safety protocol to avoid critical incidents and risks, without any input from a human.

More than 1,500 updates from Waymo Via (Waymo’s autonomous goods delivery unit) will be integrated into the Freightliner Cascadia Model, which will also obtain back up systems for its low-voltage power net, communication network, steering, and braking.

Daimler’s efforts come as a continuation of ideas discussed years ago, according to Bishop Consulting’s principal, Richard Bishop.

“While the specifics of Daimler’s announcement will surprise no one developing automated trucks, the timing shows the continuing momentum of this market,” he said. “Across the board, automated vehicle system developers agree that redundancy of key elements in the host truck platform are essential for safe deployment of automated trucking.”

This innovation also comes after Volvo Autonomous Solutions’ announcement regarding efforts being made around the North America autonomous Volvo VNL model–a collaboration with Aurora Innovation Inc. Aurora Driver autonomous technology was implemented into a Volvo Trucks long haul VNL model prototype.

A truck like this “can significantly contribute to enhancing safety in traffic, thanks to its redundancy of systems and a multitude of sensors,” said head of Daimler’s autonomous technology group, Peter Vaughan Schmidt. “It brings us much closer to our vision of accident-free driving.”

Daimler has also set forth an Autonomous Technology Group as an international organization for automated driving, a group that will work toward an overarching automated driving strategy and set of guidelines. To do so in a timely manner, the group will dive into operations network and infrastructure implementation, as well as the testing, research, development, and manufacturing of all necessary operations and technology needed to progress the AV movement forward.

The Freightliner chassis will include systems such as an additional, cybersecurity-protected communication network for certain devices; two electronic control units in both a primary and secondary system that will allow for peak brake performance in addition to system minimal risk maneuver execution abilities; and two servo motors within the steering system to allow for the backup servo motor to obtain the needed steering angle from the AV software and take action as necessary in the case of a hydraulic or electronic failure.

Additionally, the autonomous truck will require a low-voltage power net fit to meet the demands of ECU and sensor power usage–the power net developed at DTNA allows for regular critical system energy flow. Daimler will work also with Torc Robotics, a subsidiary of the company, in addition to Waymo, in order to allow for commercialization of this tech to be utilized along multiple routes.

Daimler believes that these innovations could not be coming at a more pressing time as the trucking industry continues to face a record-breaking truck driver shortage, worsened by so many drivers deciding to leave the industry due to poor work-life balance and a lack of benefits, comfort, and ease. The hope here is that automated technology will allow for a more intuitive commercial truck driving experience for operators, possibly incentivizing more–and younger–drivers to enter the industry.

The need for trucks in general is also on a steep incline, as the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics recently reported that the consumer demand for goods hauled by commercial trucks rose by 56% over the last 10 years–a number likely to double over the next two or three decades.

AI Is Future of Trucking, Startup Founders Say

December 15, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Artificial intelligence continues to make waves across the industry, becoming a huge hope for trucking companies and the public alike when it comes to the future of roadway safety.

Now, AI Fleet, a trucking company startup based out of Austin, Texas, is prioritizing the utilization of artificial intelligence tech and bringing on drivers that it feels will be able to make a progressive difference in the industry as a whole.

“Our mission is to make truck driving better,” said AI Fleet’s CEO, Mark El Khoury. “That means better for the drivers, better for our customers, and better for the overall nation. Today, the driver shortage is really nothing but a symptom of how poorly-utilized drivers are.”

El Khoury co-founded AI Fleet last year after leaving a prominent role as a consultant within the trucking world; his new company focuses upon AI technology to boost efficiency and circumvent regular trucking industry challenges.

According to El Khoury, trucking has been focused upon customers and shippers since its beginnings–instead of prioritizing the drivers that push the industry forward. Because of this, the overall truck driver shortage has been as serious as ever, with more and more truckers making the decision to leave the industry for good.

“Our current drivers–overall in the U.S.–are unhappy that they’re not making enough money.” he explained. “Clearly, that’s the problem that we have to solve.”

AI Fleet’s software can choose hauls for truckers by taking into account what will bring in the most money for a driver and his or her company, in addition to considering what route will be best for the driver, specifically. Downtime is also shortened with this system as the technology can alert drivers of all aspects surrounding their next shipment even before they complete the current haul. This is possible through a variety of back-office efforts on top of automated shipment planning and acceptance.

“A driver journey starts when a driver is available,” said El Khoury. “They usually drive empty miles to pick up their load, but once they arrive to pick up their load, they usually have to wait for their appointment. Once they get to their appointment, [they] have to wait to get loaded.”

El Khoury noted that all of this waiting time points to efficiency shortcomings in the truck driver hauling process itself.

“After you’re loaded to drive to your destination…you have to wait to get unloaded, and then you have to wait to get assigned for [the] next load,” he continued. “Every time I said ‘wait’…is actually an inefficiency in the driver journey.”

These problems are ultimately avoidable, El Khoury said–all a company needs to do is implement and employ certain kinds of innovative technology.

“Where our technology comes into play–it’s helping us make better decisions by being able to review those billions of options and then assigning loads to drivers in a way to maximize driver utilization,” he explained.

This has been a largely vacant space in the trucking sector, El Khoury noted, saying that the AI Fleet team quickly concluded that the best way to become a major player in the industry would be to find a way for technology to truly benefit the everyday operations of a trucking company. Typically, these companies are not the best software consumers, so solely selling software products to fleets was not considered to be the most lucrative choice.

“We basically ended up starting a trucking company from scratch,” he said. “We use technology to replace a big chunk of our operations. Instead of helping humans do a better job as many trucking companies do, the AI technology is the brain behind making decisions.”

Additionally, AI Fleet wants to bring a strong focus to overall care for truck drivers, encouraging truckers to go home at least once a week and offering health care, paid time off, and a guaranteed salary. Nearly two-thirds of AI Fleet’s recent hires have been through referrals, El Khoury added.

“Trucking is not scalable today,” he said. “This driver utilization problem means that large trucking companies, at some point, say, “You know what? If we keep growing or [out] utilization is already low…it’s going to potentially get worse.”

Now, AI Fleet hopes to soon become the most prominent trucking company in the country.

“We are hoping to show that through a different business model and through technology, we can build a scale with trucking companies,” said El Khoury.

Most Electric Vehicles Are Not as Reliable as Expected, New Report Shows

December 9, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

In a recent study by Consumer Reports, reliability around new electric vehicles isn’t as high as most people may think.

In fact, Tesla Inc.’s battery-powered electric vehicles ranked nearly last for the second year in a row in terms of consumer reliability, with Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln division ranking even worse. Clearly, the most innovative technology doesn’t mean it’s the best–or safest–right away.

“A lot of EVs are at the high end of the market and have a lot of new tech, like new ways to open the doors,” said Consumer Reports’ senior director of auto testing, Jake Fisher. “It’s causing problems.”

Apparently, the low reliability in these kinds of vehicles doesn’t necessarily pertain to electric batteries, but rather to the technological updates manufacturers like Tesla bring into the cab to help these cars feel luxurious and innovative–such as switching typically mechanical controls for digital ones.

For instance, many electric cars have large touch screens and even informational and entertainment systems implemented in their cabs, with software updates available via download from the cloud. With all of these modern changes, many manufacturers have yet to get everything working smoothly and efficiently, according to Consumer Reports. Tesla’s Model X SUV, Model Y SUV, and Model S sedan are all below-average in their current reliability tanking. 

Additionally, Volkswagen’s ID.4 EV and Audi’s E-Tron rank below average in reliability, Fisher noted. Only Ford’s Mustang Mach-E and Tesla’s Model 3 have decent rankings. Following behind are GM’s Chevrolet in 14th place, Ford in 18th, and Stellantis NV’s Jeep brand in 26th.

Still, some brands did rank particularly well, with Japanese manufacturers making up the majority of high-ranking reliable electric vehicles. In first place was Lexus, with Mazda, Toyota, Infiniti, and Buick close behind. Behind those were Honda, Subaru, Acura, Nissan, and Mini, with the only non-Japanese manufacturers in the top 10 being Buick by GM and Mini by BMW. The success of Japanese makers, Fisher said, is that they tend to implement new tech gradually with fewer major engineering changes, keeping digital difficulties to a minimum.

Of course, many of these automakers also manufacture commercial trucks, which are, of course, leaning toward electric vehicle technology lately, as well. Because of this, these reliability reports are important to keep in mind for trucking companies looking to bring new electric CMVs into their fleets.

Companies may also be jumping the gun in regards to getting their truckers into electrically-powered big rigs, noted Levinson and Stefani’s Ken Levinson. Levinson said that he supports technological innovations, especially in the transportation industry–but keeping drivers well-informed and behaving safety should always be top priority.

“It comes down to training,” he said. “There’s always going to be technological changes with trucks, but safety companies need to make sure their drivers are trained to operate these vehicles in the best and safest manner so people aren’t injured or killed. “

Although younger drivers entering the industry may feel much more comfortable and natural working with all of these tech updates within the cabs of their trucks, older truck drivers are likely to have a harder time getting used to these changes and being able to work with them easily while also operating their vehicles. This has the potential to cause a plethora of safety issues if drivers aren’t trained and ready to spend their work days in these tech-heavy cabs.

“One of the biggest issues with this new tech is that there will be distractions within the dash and console area, and many drivers need to be re-trained to make sure they aren’t distracted or confused by the technology,” Levinson continued. “They can’t be taking their eyes off of the road and harming someone.”

Sharing the road with truckers learning to operate these new kinds of trucks adds to the alertness passenger drivers need to practice while driving near them, and makes defensive driving even more imperative. Distracted and fatigued driving is already a major issue in the trucking industry; focusing on in-cab tech may exacerbate that potential truck driver distraction.

“Hiring safe drivers that are experienced, and making sure that when they are hired, they’re well-versed in safety protocols and practices, is key,” said Levinson. But passenger drivers should be extra careful around these truckers, regardless of how well-trained they may be.

FMCSA Praises AV Progress, Although Complete Road Safety is Still Not a Guarantee

October 16, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Freight connectivity and safety throughout the United States could be on the precipice of major shifts, according to Meera Joshi, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s nominated leader and current deputy administrator, said during a Senate panel last month.

Self-driving vehicle technology, as well as improved vehicle-to-vehicle communication capabilities, will help to finally boost safety in both the passenger and freight transportation sectors in the most innovative ways yet, Joshi said.

“We are indeed in a time of incredible transition within the industry,” she told the panel. “The transition from mechanical to [artificial intelligence] occurs, but for FMCSA, the mission of safety [being] the number one priority stays the same. So, our challenge is to ensure that our regulations to uphold roadway safety translate into an [artificial intelligence] world.”

FMCSA will focus on stakeholder collaboration in regards to creating a federal framework around the utilization of autonomous vehicle technology, Joshi added.

In regards to trucking, “The principles remain the same,” she said. “And we’re embarking on that work now to stand up a regulatory framework for [autonomous vehicle] trucking so that safety is number one. There is room for innovation so that the crash prevention technology that AI brings can benefit road users and [so that] there are accountability measures [in place], so we understand critical things in an automated world.”

For fleets transporting agricultural materials and livestock, Joshi noted that adjustability is key.

“We must be understanding of the businesses we regulate, and I commit to working with [the senate] and the agriculture and livestock industry to make sure that our rules never undermine safety, but allow them to operate.”

As more and more autonomous vehicle technology has become a major focus of the industry and has come to the forefront of many transportation expert discussions, Levinson and Stefani’s Ken Levinson weighs in, explaining that we may be putting too much reliance on this new technology in hopes that it will be an overarching solution to the industry’s safety concerns.

“I always go back to safety,” Levinson said. “As long as the technology can be properly tested and we make sure safety is the paramount concern, I’m open to technology. I’m open to different autonomous options. But, I want to make sure that we’re not skipping some steps in terms of testing and vetting and making sure that people aren’t harmed.”

In fact, many testing situations have shown that this autonomous driving tech is still nowhere near being completely reliable, and shouldn’t yet be an end-all-be-all answer to driver safety. In fact, it was only a few months ago that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration mandated that automakers must report all crashes involving fully autonomous vehicles and partially automated driver-assist systems.

“If we had a very safe autonomous vehicle and it was tested and met strict safety standards, I’m fine with that, but we have to be very careful,” Levinson explained. “There have been too many incidents where they haven’t been safe.”

In a study conducted last year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that only one-third of all crashes could be potentially avoided if automated systems were operating similarly to human drivers. It was determined that although autonomous vehicles had the potential to spot obstacles and hazards in their path and could avoid them easily, the larger challenge at hand is finding how this technology can bring an end to crashes altogether.

“We’re still going to see some issues, even if autonomous vehicles might react more quickly than humans do,” said vice president of research for IIHS, Jessica Cicchino, at the time of the study. “They’re not going to always be able to react instantaneously.”

Levinson agreed, noting that it’s clear we still have quite a ways to go until this technology can be entirely reliable in keeping our roadways as safe as possible.

“I think we’re a long way away from getting there right now because there are a lot of judgement calls that need to be made in real time that autonomous vehicles, or machines, can’t make,” he said. “Maybe we’ll get to a system that can be closer to being heavily-autonomous, but I don’t think we’re there yet, technologically. I think everybody loves that new shiny object, that technology, that brand-new way to transport people and cargo–but we have to make sure it’s done the right way and in the safest way.”

Is Advanced Safety Technology Feasible for Vocational Fleets?

October 14, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“One of the most important measures of a vehicle in the work truck space is its drive and duty cycle,” said NTEA senior director, Kevin Koester. “These vehicles typically operate in a smaller, defined geographic area, during daylight hours and at slower speeds, and many spend a high percentage of operational hours parked at a work or delivery site.”

Driver safety performance and driver fatigue improvements are on the rise with the ever-increasing adoption rates of driver-assist safety technology within over-the-road fleets, as are equipment uptimes and boosted crash avoidance and prevention.

For vocational vehicles, like those in public transit, utility trucks, and dump trucks, many are in the early stages of their safety tech implementation and will see further adoption as soon as these technology advancements are shown to be “making it easier to incorporate the systems into vocational trucks,” Koester added. He also explained that crash and safety incident-reducing systems like collision mitigation are hard to pass up for these companies, as this tech can “keep more of the fleet mission-capable.”

“The market defines what is successful,” Koester noted. “Features like automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, increased use of camera systems, and simple reverse sensors all are working to reduce incidents and keep the driver and the vehicle on the road” and safe.

Product marketing manager for Daimler Trucks North America’s Detroit hub, Len Copeland, explained that as job site safety demands increase for vocational drivers, these kinds of tech innovations are becoming much more commonplace. For example, the first vocational chassis utilizing the Detroit Assurance suite of safety and driver assistance systems–the Western Star 49X–is now becoming the standard for vocational fleets.

“Uptime is everything in the vocational market,” Copeland said. “With vocational equipment being so specialized, there is not typically a backup vehicle sitting in a compound waiting to go to work Even minor accidents–such as a low-speed, rear-end collision with another vehicle on the way to a job site–can be expensive in terms of lost hours. Entire projects are at risk of coming to a standstill with out-of-commission specialized trucks.”

Because of this, these trucks are seeing the adoption of new safety technology more quickly than ever.

“Safety features and active safety systems are one of the fastest growing options with customers, [and] demand for advanced safety systems is rising among vocational truck users,” Copeland explained.

Still, implementing advanced safety systems can inevitably raise insurance premiums, Mack Trucks construction product manager, Tim Wrinkle, said.

“In general, after factoring in all the costs associated with an accident, preventing even a single accident far exceeds the investment in the active safety features for collision avoidance,” he explained.

Additional crash costs and property damage may also rise dramatically, Wrinkle added, but having that safety tech onboard is still vital. Because vocational trucks spend so long on job sites, those with a dynamic load or a particularly high center of gravity must have electronic stability control.

“We continue to see an increase each year in the number of vocational customers [speculating] Mack [Road Stability Advantage],” he said.

The vocational market has other major differences in comparison to other fleets, added vice president of Navistar Inc.’s vocational truck business, Mark Stasell.

“You not only have to keep the driver safe, but also the people on the job site,” he said. “You might have people pouring concrete, laying forms, or troweling cement, so you have to worry about them [interacting with the truck] in addition to the driver.”

Additionally, vocational trucks not only have two duty cycles of low-speed maneuverability and high-speed lane keeping, but they also have job site-specific duty cycles that differ greatly in each kind of application with various equipment configurations–which can impact the installation of safety systems.

“There are so many different niches of duty cycles that help determine which of these technologies can walk across [to the vocational market]” said director of ADAS and Autonomy for ZF Group’s commercial vehicle division, Dan Williams. “A lot of times, the configuration is varied, like wheelbase, height, [and] windshield angle, which is important for cameras. So, when you look at a lot of these [applications], it’s based on sensors and systems [that need to be] developed for specific sensor locations.”

Aurora, FedEx, Paccar Begin Autonomous Trucking Initiative

October 7, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

A new autonomous commercial trucking pilot is in the works at the hands of FedEx Corp., Paccar Inc., and Aurora Innovation Inc.

A self driving tech-equipped Paccar tractor hauling FedEx loads between Dallas and Houston has been the initial journey of the pilot–making for a 500-mile round trip interstate drive. Now, the testing program will continue with self-driving efforts, although a safety driver will remain in the cab for the time being in case a takeover is needed. 

Still, Aurora Innovation claims that its primary autonomous driving system, Aurora Driver, will not need backup drivers in the cab for much longer.

“At the end of 2021, we will launch our trucking business and haul loads autonomously between terminals without a safety driver,” said the company. “Developing our trucking service and driver-as-a-service business model alongside a trusted network that understands how to safely optimize logistics through efficiency and speed primes us to build a more deeply integrated service with the Aurora Driver for fleets safely and quickly.”

Earlier this year, Paccar and Aurora decided to collaborate on the development of two autonomous Class 8 trucks–new models of the already-popular Kenworth T680 and Peterbilt 579.

“The speed and quality of progress we’re making with Aurora to develop self-driving trucks is impressive,” said chief technology officer for Paccar, John Rich. “This industry collaboration is an important step toward delivering these trucks at scale.”

Autonomous trucking is the next step in addressing “the exponential growth of e-commerce,” added FedEx Corp., which believes this pilot initiative will be a monumental step forward for the companies in their efforts to look toward the future of technology in the industry.

“This is an exciting, industry-first collaboration that will work toward enhancing the logistics industry through safer, more efficient transportation of goods and we are pleased to collaborate with other industry leaders–Aurora and Paccar–on this endeavor,” said FedEx Corp.’s vice president of advanced technology and innovation, Rebecca Yeung.

Autonomous driving is clearly progressing steadily, added automotive and smart mobility analyst at Gartner Inc., Mike Ramsey. This program will help demonstrate that progression to the public.

“It’s exciting to see the new pilots being announced, but I expect we are still a few years away from taking people out of the seat,” he said. “The stakes are high, with 80,000-pound vehicles going 60 mph. The regulations between different states are uneven, and clarity about legality and safety will need to be codified in some way.”

Logistics companies will continue operating and owning the vehicles, but Ramsey predicts that companies will provide their own automated driver tech and software as the business model for autonomous trucking solidifies.

“You can imagine buying a truck fitted with a Via or Aurora driver, and the logistics firms or big consumer goods fleets will pay Aurora or Via to make sure the software and hardware are working on the truck,” he explained.

The collaborative effort of these companies allows for autonomous driving to be tested with groups operating at scale, added co-founder and chief product officer at Aurora, Sterling Anderson.  Deployment capabilities will also be boosted with FedEx bringing its logistics knowledge, as well.

Now, industry powerhouses like American Trucking Associations are calling for federal autonomous trucking guidelines–specifically, for Secretary Pete Buttigieg to set forth a development and deployment framework for automated vehicle operation throughout the United States.

“ATA believes there is great promise in automated vehicle technology to improve highway safety, the efficiency of our supply chain, and our environment,” said ATA President, Chris Spear. “But, we need a national framework that fosters innovation, not a patchwork of potentially conflicting state and federal regulations, to deliver on that promise.”

ATA, along with other stakeholder groups, requested said framework in a letter written to Buttigieg last month.

“Implementing a federal AV framework that fosters the safe deployment of AVs,” the groups wrote, “can help the Biden administration to shepherd in a safer, more environmentally friendly and accessible transportation future.”

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