ELDs change load planning, freight sales the most, panel says

ATLANTA. When it comes to adopting electronic logging devices (ELDs), a panel of three fleet executives here at McLeod Software's 2017 User Conference argued that the biggest challenge is not the acceptance and subsequent use of that technology by drivers.

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Why Some Fleets Still Like Natural Gas

Ryder's Scott Perry sees an 800-pound gorilla named California at the fuel pump, which could eventually help drive up sales of natural-gas vehicles. Photo: Ryder

Not so long ago, the enthusiasm in trucking circles for using natural gas as a vehicle fuel was so hopped up it could have sparked a fire in a capped wellhead. But now that the price of diesel has plummeted back to earth, you'd be forgiven if you thought interest in natural gas would have pretty much flamed out.

But it hasn't. And that makes sense when you consider that all along, there essentially have been three types of buyers (with a lot of overlap) for natural gas trucks: Those that are required to do so by clean-air rules, those that need or desire to be perceived as environmentally friendly, and those that are looking to save money over diesel.

When diesel prices were rising rapidly, many fleets that were not required by clean-air rules or by the desire or need to be perceived as “running green” were converting to natural gas or other alternatives simply to save on fuel costs.

In many cases, those fleets — as well as those motivated by other goals — made wholesale switches to compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG), placing hefty truck orders and making large commitments to purchase fuel or invest in fueling infrastructure to leverage the fuel savings as much as possible.

Today, however, it appears the outlook for relatively cheap diesel extends out at least into 2019, meaning that the reason for running natural gas fuel is no longer so compelling.

“The profile of the user of natural gas technology has changed drastically from five years ago,” says Scott Perry, Ryder System's chief technology and procurement officer - Global Fleet Management Systems. “Back then, the financial decision was ...Read the rest of this story

Lessons learned from this summer’s natural disasters

From Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Irma in Florida, and wildfires in the west, a large portion of the United States has been impacted by natural disasters this summer.

Even with the damage from these events estimated at many billions of dollars, it appears things could have been far worse, had there been significant damage to oil refineries or more areas that serve as major freight transportation hubs.

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3 Tech Trends from McLeod User Conference

Tom McLeod talks to reporters at the McLeod Software 2017 User Conference. Photo: McLeod Software

In a roundtable with trucking reporters at the McLeod 2017 User Conference in Atlanta, McLeod executives talked about a number of technology trends affecting their fleet customers and the industry at large, including ELDs, blockchain, and making sense of the vast amount of data available to fleets.

The most looming change, of course is the electronic logging device mandate that kicks in Dec. 18. Fleets who are waiting until the last minute may have already waited until too late, McLeod told reporters.

“I am surprised still at the number of new orders we're getting right now that include our mobile communication module that have not selected a [ELD] provider yet.”

Using ELDs, he emphasized, goes well beyond just putting a new device in the cab.

“The management of information from electronic logs is a learning curve. It's not just a switch you can throw. You're not going to be able to pull into a bay at a truckstop on Dec. 17 and have a unit installed and be ready to operate the next day. That 450 miles run you're used to making in a day, you're not going to be able to make anymore. If your shipper holds you up for just half an hour it may cost you a half a day of service.”

In addition, he said, while there are more than 100 vendors listed as self certified on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's list of ELDs, “20 of those are all resellers of the same unit. From a manufacturing standpoint I think there will be supply issues.”

Some fleets, he said, won't be able to make the transition and will go out of business. And some drivers, although not all, he predicted, will make good on their threat ...Read the rest of this story

Commentary: The Other Shortage – Heavy-Duty Technicians

Rolf Lockwood

My main “beat” in this business has always been the techie side of things. It's a predilection I come by honestly, having torn down my first engine in the parental basement at the age of 15. Mom complained mightily about the fumes, and I complained – to myself alone – about what a complicated bloody job I'd taken on. I gave up, frankly, but my oh-so-kind grandfather took pity on me, boxed up all the bits and took them to a local shop to have the thing rebuilt by pros. Relief!

Ah, but the good news lasted about as long as ham and eggs on a truckstop counter. One of my life's lesser tragedies came three months later when I overcooked things in that little Morris Minor and sent a rod through the block. And that was the end of car number one.

Dozens of other cars followed over the years, the majority of them old and tired and owned during impecunious stretches that forced me to get utterly filthy while fixing their faults myself. I was never terribly good at it, truth be known, but I kinda liked it. Even through a cold February week that saw me in a snowy driveway underneath my next Morris Minor three nights in a row as I replaced successive electric fuel pumps and still couldn't get the bugger to send juice forward. I liked the process so much that I managed to laugh when one of Dad's friends came by one night, suggested I might simply be out of petrol, and proceeded to start the darned thing after pouring a gallon or so of fuel down its gullet.

Another learning experience.

Why my public trip down this particular memory lane? It first arose after a long conversation with one of trucking's best and ...Read the rest of this story

TMW Systems Joins Blockchain in Trucking Alliance

TMW Systems has become a charter member of the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance, a group dedicated to setting standards for blockchain applications developed for the transportation industry.

Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology designed for transactional applications such as the movement of freight. The technology is already in use in industries such as stock trading, banking, insurance, and real-estate – all industries with complex, high-volume transactions.

“TMW Systems is a leader and innovator in transportation management software and their software is core to a significant portion of the for-hire capacity in the industry,” said Craig Fuller, CEO of TransRisk and co-founder of BiTA. “They will play a key role in helping us to set standards for blockchain applications and smart contracts.”

Blockchain simplifies the management of transactional data by storing contracts and related information within transparent, auditable, secure “blocks” that are shared with multiple parties.

Tim Leonard, executive vice president of technology for TMW, will lead the company's participation in BiTA. Leonard, who recently was recognized as a 2017 “Data Visionary” in the Americas Data Heroes Awards program sponsored by Hortonworks, has published a new white paper, available here, that explores the benefits of blockchain for an increasingly multi-modal transportation environment.

“Blockchain, machine learning, and other emerging technologies can play vital roles in helping transportation service providers more efficiently and profitably meet the demands of tomorrow's highly complex supply chains,” said Leonard. “We are excited to help lead the development of standards and innovative applications that can transform the movement of freight from supplier to end consumer.”

Related: New Group Lobbies for Blockchain Adoption by Trucking

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Electric Trucks: Zap in the Pan?

You won't hear it coming, but there is likely to be an electric truck in your future, and it will arrive sooner than you think. It won't be an-all electric Class 8 over-the-road truck, at least for the foreseeable future. More likely it will be a yard tractor, a service vehicle, or a local or regional route vehicle such as a panel van or a refuse or utility truck.

These vehicles all have the type of power demands and operating attributes that make them ideal candidates for electrification, such as limited daily ranges, easy access to recharging or a duty cycle that allows for overnight charging — and for the most part, they are not highly weight-sensitive.

Weight is certainly a limiting factor with Class 8 trucks, but there are already fully electric ones working in this country. Several are proving viable, if just barely, at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Even with 4,000 to 5,000 pounds of batteries on board, they can make round trips of only 80 miles or so before they must be recharged.

One company that is making batteries work in the Class 8 space is Motiv Power Systems of Foster City, California. Motiv currently has one refuse truck on trial in Chicago, where it reportedly manages routes of about 60 miles with an 18,000-pound payload while running a hydraulic compactor. The company recently announced plans to put an all-electric automated left-side loader garbage truck into testing in Sacramento, California, for residential refuse and recycling routes.

Motiv's electric refuse vehicle is equipped with 200 kilowatt-hours of energy in 10 battery packs. The chassis can accommodate up to 12 battery packs to handle longer routes if required.

The company has also had success on a smaller scale, a Class 6 walk-in van built by Morgan-Olsen Work Truck Bodies. Motiv ...Read the rest of this story