InterMotive Launches Bluetooth Idle Reduction System

InterMotive Vehicle Controls has developed a Bluetooth version of its fully automatic stop/start idle reduction system called the EcoStar II.

EcoStar III automatically turns the engine off and on after the vehicle has been placed in Park for a programmable set amount of time. Using Bluetooth and a simple mobile app, EcoStar III is configurable to custom conditions and can pull data for tracking idle time reduction and fuel savings.

The EcoStar III works with the key in or out of the ignition to keep the vehicle secure as well as prevent unnecessary idling.

The system will monitor battery voltage and interior temperature (optional feature) to restart the engine if any of the specific condition settings are exceeded. It also includes high idle for a faster battery charge and better AC performance.

EcoStar III can be installed using plug and play connections on a work truck, fire truck, cutaway-bus, and ambulance vehicles.

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

Mack Announces Over The Air Remote Powertrain Updates

Late last year at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta, Mack Trucks announced its intention to have an over the air, remote software update capability for its GuardDog Connect telematics systems in early 2018. Flash-forward to the Technology and Maintenance Council Annual Meeting, currently underway, and the company has delivered on that promise.

Mack Over The Air is a new addition to Mack Truck's telematics suite that enables remote powertrain software updates. Photo: Mack

Mack Over The Air is a new remote system that updates engine and powertrain software on Mack trucks equipped with Mack 2017 or newer engines. At a press conference held on the show floor in Atlanta, David Pardue, vice president of connected vehicles and uptime services for Mack said that “Mack Over The Air enables customers to ensure their trucks are operating at an optimal level without disrupting their schedules in today's hypercompetitive just-in-time economy.”

“This is just the latest step in our journey to provide industry-leading uptime for our customers.”

Since going live in Oct. 2017, Pardue said 20 customers and about 3,500 vehicles have benefited from Mack Over The Air. Mack has performed more than 380 updates, saving customers more than 500 days of downtime and decreasing the time needed to do a software update from days to minutes.

Mack Over The Air is powered by GuardDog Connect, which also provides proactive monitoring and repair planning for 65,000 in-service Mack trucks. Mack Over The Air uses GuardDog Connect - standard on all Mack models with Mack engines - to deliver software and parameter updates directly to customers' trucks.

Mack OneCall uptime agents in the company's 24/7 Uptime Center work with customers to schedule the updates based on when it works best for their operations. Once the update begins, Pardue said it generally took around 23 minutes ...Read the rest of this story

Volvo Announces Remote Powertrain Programming Capabilities

Remote Programming allows Volvo customers to perform over-the-air powertrain software and parameter updates anywhere in the U.S. and Canada where a cellular connection is available. Photo: Volvo Trucks

Volvo Trucks has announced that it is now able to offer its customers the ability to remotely update its proprietary engine and powertrain systems on select truck models. The company made the announcement at the Technology and Maintenance Council Annual Meeting in Atlanta.

Volvo calls the new system Remote Programming. It is a new addition to Volvo's established, and standard, Uptime Service telematics system. According to Conel Deedy, director of Uptime Services for Volvo, the truck maker has successfully updated approximately 1,300 remote powertrains since June of last year, saving those customers an estimated 600 days of downtime or more in the process. He noted that half of those updates were handled by the driver of the truck, with the other half being completed by technicians.

When Volvo determines an engine or other powertrain updated is required, a customer service representative from the company's Uptime Center reaches out to a fleet or owner-operator to set up a convenient time to complete the process. At the designated time, the truck has to have the ignition on and the parking brake set, with a cellular or Wi Fi system enabled. Pardue said the entire update typically takes around 20 minutes to complete.

“Uptime isn't just a marketing word we toss around lightly. It's about the people, processes and technology we implement to meet our customer commitments,” said Deedy. “Remote Programming is already delivering strong uptime improvements. We see great potential for further improving truck availability and the ownership experience as we build on the platform and capabilities we've developed over more than two decades.”

In addition to software updates, Remote Programming can deliver parameter changes to the road speed ...Read the rest of this story

Uber Highlights Self-Driving Truck Hauling Goods Cross Country

Uber's Advanced Technologies Group has released a video showcasing how its Autonomous Truck technologies can be used to haul goods across the country.

The video features an Uber autonomous truck transferring freight with a traditional heavy duty truck in Arizona. According to the video, the self-driving truck was bringing goods that originated in the Midwest to a point near Topock, Ariz., which is near the California-Arizona border. The self-driving truck is met by they traditionally-driven truck which has brought its own load from Los Angeles.

The video was not just for show, Uber's autonomous truck actually hauled the trailer from Sanders, Ariz., to Topock – a route spanning the length of the state. Arizona has become a hotbed of autonomous truck development in the past year, due in part to its regulatory climate that places few restrictions on self-driven vehicle testing.

At the meeting point, the two trucks traded loads, with the regular truck taking the goods from the Midwest back toward Los Angeles and the self-driving truck taking its new load back to the East.

Apart from showing how Uber's autonomous truck technology can already be used on long haul routes, the video is meant to showcase that, in either case, a truck driver is still needed to operate each vehicle. This supports Uber's vision for the future of trucking, where mixed fleets of self-driving long-haul trucks and human-driven regional trucks work together in a transfer hub logistical model.

Uber see's its self-driving trucks taking over many of the long-haul cross country routes while traditionally driven trucks transfer the goods in regional settings. Photo: Uber ATG

This could also accelerate the timeline for self-driving trucks being used in regular operations. Current autonomous trucks still require a driver to be behind the wheel at all times, and have a harder time navigating ...Read the rest of this story

InterMotive’s updated idle reduction system keeps truck working with engine off

Toyota Supra gets turbocharged inline-six, no manual transmission

The car will share much with the new BMW Z4.

Nashville mayor resigns after affair, pleads guilty to theft

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mayor Megan Barry, a one-time rising star in the Democratic Party with big plans to remake Nashville, resigned Tuesday after pleading guilty to cheating the city out of thousands of dollars as she carried on an affair with her bodyguard.