Exciting news from Volvo Trucks has arrived! In the latter half of 2025, Volvo will introduce the new FH Electric model. It offers a remarkable 375-mile range on a single charge—double that of the current FH Electric. Only with advanced e-axle technology, increased battery capacity, and enhanced battery management, this leap in range is made possible. With over 3,800 electric trucks delivered globally already, Volvo continues to be the head in zero-emission transport. Alongside investments in cutting-edge charging infrastructure with Pilot Company and a Swedish battery plant, Volvo’s commitment to sustainable transportation is further supported by the new model.

#ElectricTrucks #Sustainability #VolvoTrucks #ZeroEmission #Transportation #Innovation

Source: CCJ Digital

In August, while price increases for transportation slowed for the first time since April, the Logistics Managers’ Index showed a significant increase in transportation capacity, reaching its highest level since May at 56.7. This capacity growth is driven by expected seasonal demand after Labor Day and also by the smaller carriers returning to the market. Reflecting a positive shift in the logistics sector, warehouse capacity is up and inventory levels are rebounding. Despite small changes, the overall industry remains in constant growth.

#Logistics #Transportation #SupplyChain #Freight #Warehouse

Source: Freightwaves

To improve safety and driver retention, trucking companies are increasingly adopting dash cameras. However, inward-facing cameras face a lack of enthusiasm from many drivers. While outward-facing cameras are widely accepted, NAPA Transportation sees that the implementation of driver-facing cameras may impact driver recruitment and retention, particularly among veteran drivers. Despite challenges, with growing acceptance expected as newer drivers enter the industry, supporters argue that inward-facing cameras provide crucial data for safety and claim defense.

#Trucking #DashCameras #DriverSafety #FleetManagement

Source: CCJ Digital

Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) technology has gained significant attention for its potential to enhance road safety by reducing the risk of collisions. However, a recent article on FreightWaves sheds light on the ongoing debate among safety officials regarding the implementation of a nationwide AEB mandate. In this blog post, we delve into the key points of contention surrounding this issue and explore the perspectives of stakeholders involved.

The Push for an AEB Mandate:
AEB systems utilize sensors and advanced algorithms to detect potential collisions and automatically apply the brakes to prevent or mitigate the impact. Proponents of a nationwide AEB mandate argue that this technology has the potential to significantly reduce rear-end collisions and save lives.

The Counterarguments and Concerns:
While the potential benefits of AEB technology are evident, safety officials have raised several counterarguments and concerns:

1. Cost and Implementation: One major concern is the cost of implementing AEB systems in all vehicles. This expense could be particularly challenging for smaller fleets and independent truck drivers, potentially affecting their competitiveness and financial viability.
2. Reliability and False Positives: Some critics argue that AEB systems may not always accurately detect potential collisions, leading to false positive alerts or unnecessary braking. This could create safety hazards, especially in situations where sudden braking is not warranted.
3. Training and Adaptation: The successful implementation of AEB technology requires proper training for drivers to understand its capabilities and limitations. Additionally, drivers need time to adapt to the new technology, potentially affecting their driving behaviors and reaction times.
4. Technical Challenges: The integration of AEB systems into existing vehicle fleets may present technical challenges, including compatibility with different vehicle models, maintenance, and software updates.

Finding a Balanced Approach:
The debate over the AEB mandate highlights the need for a balanced approach that considers both the potential benefits and challenges:

1. Gradual Implementation: A phased approach to implementation could allow for a smoother transition, giving manufacturers and drivers time to adapt and address technical and training challenges.
2. Performance Standards: Establishing clear and rigorous performance standards for AEB systems can help ensure their reliability and effectiveness, reducing the risk of false positives and unnecessary braking.
3. Financial Support: Providing financial incentives or assistance to smaller fleets and independent drivers could help offset the costs associated with implementing AEB technology.
4. Driver Training: Comprehensive driver training programs should accompany the introduction of AEB systems to ensure drivers fully understand the technology and how to react in various scenarios.

Conclusion:
The debate over the nationwide AEB mandate reflects the complexity of integrating advanced safety technologies into the trucking industry. While the potential benefits of AEB systems in reducing collisions and improving road safety are promising, addressing concerns related to cost, reliability, and training is essential. By finding a balanced approach that prioritizes safety, technical feasibility, and the financial well-being of industry stakeholders, the trucking sector can harness the benefits of AEB technology while ensuring a smooth and effective transition.

Introduction:
Extreme weather conditions can pose unique challenges for truck drivers, impacting their safety, well-being, and overall operations. Currently, the United States is grappling with a dangerous heatwave, placing additional burdens on truck drivers navigating the roads. In this blog post, we explore the challenges truck drivers face during extreme heatwaves and discuss measures to mitigate their impact.

The Dangers of Extreme Heatwaves: Heatwaves bring intense heat and high temperatures, creating hazardous conditions for anyone outdoors, including truck drivers. The combination of scorching temperatures, limited shade, and prolonged exposure to the sun can lead to various health risks and operational challenges.

Truck drivers face increased health risks during heatwaves, including:

1. Dehydration and Heat Exhaustion: The excessive heat and perspiration can quickly deplete the body’s fluids, leading to dehydration and heat exhaustion. Symptoms may include dizziness, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating, compromising driver safety.

2. Heatstroke: In severe cases, prolonged exposure to high temperatures can result in heatstroke, a life-threatening condition. Heatstroke symptoms include high body temperature, confusion, and even loss of consciousness.

Operational Challenges:  

1. Vehicle Maintenance: High temperatures can strain truck engines, leading to overheating and potential breakdowns. Tire blowouts are also more likely due to increased road temperatures.

2. Traffic Congestion: Heatwaves often lead to increased traffic congestion as more people hit the roads. This can result in longer travel times, delays, and added stress for truck drivers.

Mitigating the Impact:  

1. Stay Hydrated: Drivers should prioritize staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout their journeys. It’s important to carry an adequate supply of water and take regular breaks to rehydrate.

2. Proper Clothing and Sun Protection: Wearing lightweight, breathable clothing and a wide-brimmed hat can help shield drivers from direct sun exposure. Applying sunscreen and using sunglasses can also protect against harmful UV rays.

3. Monitor Health: Truck drivers should pay close attention to their bodies and be aware of signs of heat-related illnesses. If symptoms of dehydration or heat exhaustion arise, they should seek shade, rest, and hydrate immediately.

4. Plan Routes and Schedule Breaks: Drivers can plan their routes to minimize exposure to extreme heat. Scheduling breaks during the hottest parts of the day and utilizing air-conditioned rest areas can provide relief from the heat.

5. Vehicle Maintenance: Regular vehicle maintenance is crucial, especially during heatwaves. Checking tire pressure, coolant levels, and engine performance can help prevent breakdowns caused by overheating.

Conclusion:
Extreme heatwaves pose significant challenges for truck drivers, jeopardizing their health and creating operational hurdles. By prioritizing personal well-being, taking preventive measures, and maintaining their vehicles, truck drivers can navigate the roads more safely during heatwaves. Additionally, increased awareness, driver training programs, and industry support can further aid in mitigating the impact of extreme weather conditions on truck drivers, ensuring their safety and the smooth functioning of the transportation sector.

Diesel prices have recently declined due to the broader slump in the oil market, impacting the transportation industry and consumers. This post explores the potential benefits for businesses and consumers.

The benchmark diesel price has decreased as a result of the ongoing oil market decline. This is significant for the transportation industry as it offers potential cost savings for businesses reliant on diesel fuel.

Lower diesel prices can improve profit margins for trucking companies, reduce shipping costs, and potentially lower retail prices for consumers. Logistics and supply chain management can also benefit from cost reductions.

Lower transportation costs may result in lower prices for goods and services, increasing purchasing power and stimulating consumer spending. Industries relying on transportation may experience more stable pricing.

Future fluctuations in diesel prices must be monitored due to the volatile nature of the oil market, affected by factors such as geopolitics, supply and demand, and environmental policies.

The decline in benchmark diesel prices presents potential benefits for the transportation industry and consumers. Cost savings for trucking companies can lead to improved profit margins and potentially lower retail prices. Adapting to future fluctuations is important for businesses to optimize operations in a changing landscape.

The prospect of self-driving trucks could further intensify land-grabbing big cities, partly fueled by the increase in long-haul trucking. Alterra Property Group LLC, a real-estate investor, based in Philadelphia, said Monday that it had launched a partnership with autonomous-truck company Embark Trucks Inc. to buy property across the U.S.

Embark, which went public in November 2021, plans to commercially launch the first trucks in Sunbelt states such as California and Texas in 2024. The autonomous trucks would drive on highways and then pass on the trailers to city-driven trucks.

The emergence of self-driving trucks comes as America’s voracious demand for electronics, household wares, and other goods has boosted truck traffic. Truck operators need land near big population centers to store their vehicles. However, since the ground is scarce, the developers have been buying up outdoor facilities such as e-commerce warehouses. Thus, strict zoning rules mean that few sites qualify for truck storage and creating a significant supply-and-demand-imbalance,” said the executive managing director at a commercial-property firm.

While big investors have been buying up e-commerce warehouses for years, they have mostly neglected industrial outdoor storage facilities. Most plots are small and owned by local landlords or small logistics businesses, making it hard to find real estate to buy.

Aside from trucks, outdoor facilities zoned for heavy industrial use often store construction materials and equipment. A residential construction boom has increased demand for these facilities.

Trucking companies plan to spend more on new trucks and trailers in 2022, but supply chain problems threaten to constrain their efforts to expand freight-hauling capacity and revitalize their fleets. Therefore, executives at major trucking companies said following robust 2021 earnings reports that they planned to increase capital expenditures this year from around 30% to more than double last year’s total, signaling confidence that strong shipping demand and high freight rates in the U.S. market would continue.

Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., one of the country’s largest less-than-truck carriers, which allow multiple shippers to share space on the same truck, said it plans to raise capital expenditures by 50% in 2022 from last year to $825 million. That includes $485 million to buy tractors and trailers, up 79% from last year. Furthermore, the North American manufacturers produced 264,500 Class 8 trucks in 2021 but would have made as many as 330,000 if production hadn’t been hampered. Thus, the Columbus, Ind.-based transportation-data provider forecasts production will hit 300,000 vehicles in 2022, down from an estimate six months earlier than manufacturers would pump out 360,000 trucks this year.

Following these assertions, the vice president of commercial vehicles at FTR Transportation Intelligence, Don Ake, has estimated that manufacturers will fall 85,000 units short of meeting the demand for heavy-duty trucks in North America this year. This production won’t recover until 2023.

Reference:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/truckers-face-supply-chain-hurdles-to-fleet-upgrades-11645030701

The rise of pandemic online shopping is fueling the growth in truck traffic and disrupting global supply chains. They are causing headaches for state and local governments that face multibillion-dollar bills to finance road upkeep and expansions. The thousands more delivery trucks on neighborhood streets and tractor-trailers on interstate highways are solving one problem by creating another.

Having a high demand of supply, the American Trucking Association, the U.S. needs an additional 80,000 truck drivers to meet its demand. Despite the shortage, government forecasters expect tractor-trailer traffic to grow almost three times as fast over the next three decades. A severe lack of parking spaces for trucks has forced drivers to pull over on highway shoulders, mall parking lots, and residential streets to take breaks required under federal rules.

As the pandemic has accelerated, a move toward e-commerce has been underway for the past several years. Online retail made up 16% of retail sales in November 2021. Therefore, all those purchases emptied the retail inventories, promoting a surge of new orders to manufacturers, which themselves had to order new parts and machinery to meet that demand. Getting those goods to homes and factories requires a constellation of warehouses and trucks moving between them. However, as the federal government imposes special taxes on trucks in recognition of their damage to the roads, those taxes don’t cover the total impact on pavements, congestion, safety, or pollution. Thus, the troublesome has triggered disputes between the public and trucking associates without any solutions.

Reference: https://www.wsj.com/articles/trucks-roads-damage-traffic-supply-chain-11643210764

Truck tonnage in October posted the most robust year-over-year again since just before summer, American Trucking Associations announced, as consumers raged up early spending in anticipation of a busy holiday shopping season. The ATA for Hire-Truck Tonnage Index has risen to 113 last month, a 1.8% increase compared to the previous year and 0.4% improvement compared to September 2021. For the three-month period, capacity has increased a combined 2.9%, noted ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello, in line with a general improvement in economic activity.

Keeping economic growth on solid footing is the best way to keep the volumes of freight forward. However, the problem for the industry isn’t about the demand but not having an adequate supply. Earlier this year, Costello had expected the trucking industry would face more than 80,000 truck drivers. According to this provision, the federal infrastructure package creates a training program to prepare drivers younger than 21 to operate Class 8 trucks in interstate commerce.

According to Dial-a-Truck’s chief of analytics, Ken Adamo, said; conditions of congested ports, intermodal yards, and warehouses acted as a drag on the number of loads last month. Thus, as a result, retailers and online sellers took on higher truckload charges to make sure their freight was positioned for success in the shopping period. Additionally, DAT emphasized spot rates of dry van and refrigerated cargo segments are surging.

The monthly Logistic Managers Index survey for October was 72.6, which is one point higher than last year. Thus, according to Dale Rogers, a professor at Arizona State University and one of the index orders, “October’s reading of 72.6 continues the expanded run of logistics expansion we have been tracking throughout the year.” The overall growth has now been over 7 in conjunction and pandemic condition.
Ultimately, the National Retail Federation has expected nearly 2 million or more people are expected to participate in holiday shop between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday this year since many consumers are maintained a trend of starting their holiday shopping earlier this year.

*Reference: https://www.ttnews.com/articles/truck-tonnage-and-other-indexes-show-industry-strong-october