Will Future Tech Have a Domino Effect on Fleets?
Although the use of electric trucks will likely rise in the coming years, diesel will remain the fuel of choice for fleets, said analyst Rick Mihelic. Photo: Mercedes Benz
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Although the use of electric trucks will likely rise in the coming years, diesel will remain the fuel of choice for fleets, said analyst Rick Mihelic. Photo: Mercedes Benz
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Great changes are heading toward trucking. And while it’s only natural to focus on headline-making technologies such as electric vehicles or autonomous driving technology, the tidal wave of changes coming at the industry create a ripple effect that will change aspects of the trucking industry that few have considered to this point.
That was the cautionary note struck by Rick Mihelic, transportation industry analyst and president of Mihelic Vehicle Consulting, at a webinar hosted by the Stifel Transportation Equipment Equity Research Group.
Mihelic noted that while there are many experts and pundits making predictions concerning the future of trucking today, these forecasts are extremely tricky to get right with the benefit of hindsight. However, he said it is important to remember that while many new technologies are initially supported by incentives, tax breaks, and grants to offset developmental costs, ultimately these technologies must win out in the marketplace and generate a positive return on investment and prove capable of offsetting both developmental and operating costs in order to be successful.
Taking that analysis a step further, Mihelic said it’s possible today to zero in on specific aspects of the trucking industry to see where emerging technologies might be able to cut costs or improve efficiencies in the future. These areas include:
Reducing driver costsIncreasing the payload an individual vehicle can carryIncreasing the amount of freight miles per unit per yearIncreasing pricingReducing other operating costs
Mihelic said that while other forms of transporting material goods, such as shipping, rail and airlines, have evolved and modified over the decades since their establishment, trucking alone remains locked by regulations and legislation in methods and configurations that would be familiar to …Read the rest of this story
