Truck Technology Takes the Stage at the Consumer Electronics Show

Paccar is using the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to show off new technology, including Peterbilt's Level 4 autonomous Model 579 tractor. Photo: Peterbilt

If you need any more evidence that technology is moving into commercial vehicles at astonishing speed, look no further than the CES consumer electronics show this week in Las Vegas.

Once the domain of geeks and gamers, CES has evolved to become one of the most important venues for showcasing new and emerging technology, attracting over 20,000 attendees annually.

Increasingly, automotive companies have been using the show to reveal high-tech upcoming features and concepts. But now, commercial vehicles are getting their due.

The biggest splash so far is arguably Toyota's new e-Palette concept vehicle, which the company describes as a sort of highly adaptable, multi-use urban car, van or truck, depending on the owner's preference.

Toyota is developing the e-Palette in partnership with Amazon, Uber and Pizza Hut, which says a lot about the vehicle's potential uses. The design shown at CES has no windshield or set passenger seating arrangement. But, Toyota says, the vehicle can be configured for multiple applications, including delivery or passenger-van, a parcel delivery truck, a mobile office or even a hotel room.

Called e-Palette, the concept vehicle is larger than the self-driving taxis being tested by Alphabet spin-off Waymo but smaller than the driverless semi-trucks that Uber is working on – a multipurpose urban runabout.

A further hint as to what the future of transportation and trucking is going to look like was revealed in comments made by Toyota President Akio Toyoda, who told reporters at CES, “My aim is to change Toyota from an automobile company to a mobility company. Our competitors are no longer those just making cars. Companies like Google, Apple and Facebook are what I think about at night.”

Diesel, Gasoline Prices Expected to Jump Less This Year

U.S. crude oil production is projected to hit record highs, but that won't stop diesel prices from rising. Photo: ConocoPhillips

A federal outlook for national average on-highway diesel prices predicts they will be higher this year and in 2019 than they were last year and in 2016, but they should at least be fairly stable during this time, according to the latest Short Term Energy Outlook from the U.S. Energy Department.

It projects that trucking's primary fuel will average $2.95 per gallon in 2018 and bump slightly higher to $3.01 per gallon in 2019. While that's an expected 11.2% hike for this year over last, it would represent just a 2% increase in 2019 over 2018. However, it's less than the 14.8% jump in the average diesel price in 2017 over 2016.

The currently weekly average in the U.S. for on-highway diesel is just under $3 per gallon. It is expected to average $2.97 in the first quarter of 2018 before dropping to $2.89 in the second quarter. The third quarter average is expected to rise to $2.94 before finishing up at $3 per gallon in the fourth quarter.

The quarterly average range for diesel in 2019 is expected to range from a low of $2.96 in the first quarter to a high of $3.08 in the fourth quarter.

The trend for gasoline is similar, but at lesser prices and with smaller hikes. Regular grade is expected to average $2.57 per gallon in 2018 and $2.58 per gallon in 2019. If such an increase happens this year, this would represent a 6.3% increase over 2017 and just a 0.4% gain in 2019 over 2018, far less than the 12.4% jump seen last year when compared to 2016.

Driving the price of both fuel higher will be slightly increased crude oil prices. Benchmark North Sea Brent crude ...Read the rest of this story

10 Dividend Stocks You Can Set and Forget

There is a solution, however, for investors who've become mentally exhausted thanks to a bull market that has now persisted for a stunning nine years — just buy some dividend stocks and stop watching the market every day. With that as the backdrop, if you don't know how or where to start a hunt for new income-oriented holdings, here's a look at ten great dividend stocks that would at home in almost any investor's portfolio. Telecom giant AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is an oldie but a goodie, and with uncharacteristic weakness from the stock since the middle of 2016, the dividend yield has been pumped up to an impressive 5.3%.

Trump Signs Bills to Help Veterans Become Drivers, Curb Human Trafficking

A new law will make it easier for military vets to transition to civilian trucking jobs. Photo: U.S. Department of Transportation

President Donald Trump signed into law two bills that affect the trucking industry: the Jobs for Our Heroes Act, which helps veterans to become medically certified for commercial driving; and the No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act, which bans drivers who are involved in human trafficking from commercially driving for life.

The Jobs for Our Heroes Act amends the FAST Act and would allow veterans to receive DOT medical certification from a wider variety of medical professionals employed by the Veterans Administration, improving access to certified examinations. It is a combination of two proposed bills approved by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in May 2017.

The expanded list of qualified examiners includes advanced practice nurses, doctors of chiropractic, doctors of medicine, doctors of osteopathy, physician assistants, or other medical professionals at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The bill would also allow veterans to use experience driving commercial-type vehicles in the Armed Forces to apply for an exemption from all or a portion of federal commercial motor vehicle driving test requirements.

The No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act directs the Department of Transportation to ban a driver who uses a commercial vehicle to commit a felony involving a severe form of human trafficking from operating a commercial vehicle for life.

To define a severe form of human trafficking, the bill uses the description from the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. That bill considers severe forms of trafficking to include sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person forced to perform the act is a minor under 18 years of age. It also includes in the definition human trafficking for ...Read the rest of this story

Trump administration says no oil drilling off Florida coast

The Trump administration said Tuesday it would not allow oil drilling off the coast of Florida, abruptly reversing course under pressure from Republican Gov. Rick Scott. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said ...

J.W. Speaker Offers Heated LED Lighting

The SmartHeat Series of LED lighting equipment is a lineup of heated lights designed for over-the-road trucks, snow plows, refuse trucks, construction equipment, delivery vans, and any heavy-duty vehicle that needs to operate in the winter.

It is a comprehensive line of heated LED lights covering forward and rear lighting, as well as task lighting.

The heating technology behind SmartHeat allows for easier use of long-lasting LED lighting during winter weather. This helps owner-operators and fleets improve their utilization and productivity while enhancing the ability to see and be seen on the road, thus ensuring safety and comfort.

“We wanted to give our on-road drivers the ability to power through extreme temperatures when investing in our quality LED lighting,” said Jason Meyers, transport sales manager for J.W. Speaker. “Our new SmartHeat technology improves visibility as well as the ability to be seen in tough wintery conditions, making it safer and more comfortable for the driver.”

All together this new SmartHeat Series includes a variety of heated options, including: 4- x 6-inch LED headlights – Model 8800 Evolution 2, 5- x 7-inch LED headlights – Model 8910 Evolution 2, 5- x 11-inch LED headlights – Model 9800, 4.5-inch round work lights – Model 670 XD and 4-inch round stop, tail, turn lights – Model 234, all street-legal supporting DOT, Transport Canada ECE and Military standards & requirements.

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Boeing set to top Airbus with record 763 jets in 2017

Boeing Co (BA.N) said on Tuesday it delivered an industry-record 763 jetliners in 2017, likely beating European rival Airbus SE (AIR.PA) to retain the title of world's biggest plane maker. Boeing also booked 912 net new aircraft orders worth $134.8 billion at list prices last year, compared with 668 worth about $94 billion (£69.5 billion) in 2016. Airbus was on track last month to rack up more than 1,000 gross new orders for the year, excluding cancellations, compared with the 1,053 gross orders Boeing announced on Tuesday.