Navistar Reveals 24/7 Uptime Command Center

Navistar's Michael Cancelliere. Photo: Evan Lockridge

ORLANDO-- In kicking off the Navistar presser here at the ATA Management Conference & Exhibition, Michael Cancelliere, president, Truck and Parts, presented the continuing growth of the economy and the rise in truck orders year over year as the backdrop for the OEM announcing it would increase prices on 2009 model year trucks “by up to 2%.”

He said that any increases can be viewed in light of what buyers of new trucks will receive in terms of “getting better fuel economy, more uptime, and more driver-centric features bringing value to these trucks. And our suppliers are raising prices for us.” He added that Navistar is still seeing truckload carriers as particularly strong buyers “going into next year.”

Turning to the main event, Cancelliere announced that Navistar's new Uptime Command Center was already up and running at company headquarters in Lisle, Illinois.

He said the center is staffed by a dedicated, cross-functional team of Navistar uptime specialists as well as key suppliers to provide 24/7 on-road support for customer vehicles.

According to Cancelliere, the center's mission to “get vehicles back on the road as quickly as possible-- and no later than 48 hours after diagnosing a problem” is also being supported across the board by all members of the International Trucks dealer network.

Cancelliere said the Uptime Command Center takes advantage of the company's OnCommand Connection telematics network, which constantly monitors and captures data from more than 325,000 vehicles that collectively travel more than 8.8 million miles per day.

He noted that a new feature-- OnCommand Connection Live Action Plans— is being piloted. It aims to predict when a part is going to fail before it actually does, and to provide the customer with alerts about potential corrective actions, the potential repair, the parts needed, and the training required to make ...Read the rest of this story

Autonomous Technologies Could Mean ‘Transformational’ Change in Trucking

ORLANDO – Automated vehicle technologies, vehicle electrification, and the rise of transportation as a service (think ride-share services like Uber and Lyft) are creating a “transformational change” in the transportation industry. But what does that mean for trucking?

Self-proclaimed technologist Larry Burns looked at some of the possibilities in a presentation at the American Trucking Associations' Management Conference and Exhibition Sunday.

During his 1998-2009 tenure heading up R&D at General Motors, Burns was a proponent for the safety benefits of self-driving vehicles. Today he advises companies such as Google and Peloton, governments and research institutions on transportation, energy, and advanced technology.

Since motorized vehicles were first invented in the late 1800s, he noted, although we've seen an evolution of the technology, essentially today's cars and trucks have the same DNA as their predecessors. They're mechanically driven with an internal combustion engine using oil-based fuel and operate with a human at the controls.

“As you combine autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, and transportation as a service, you get safer, more convenient, more productive, more personalized, and more affordable transportation services,” he said.

It's a new age of “automobility,” he said. But what does that mean for trucking?

Unlike the passenger car business, which has been a gradual evolution, Burns observed, trucking's growth has been triggered by events, such as regulations, the development of the interstate highway system, containerized shipping, the energy crisis, etc. Burns believes the next big event to significantly transform trucking will be autonomous trucks, and he pointed to companies such as Mercedes, Tesla, Peloton and Waymo who apparently do also.

“I can't predict your future,” he said, but aimed to offer a look at what's possible, noting, “I'm a technologist.”

Navistar looks to bump up truck prices by 2%

ORLANDO. With commodity prices and supplier costs both on the rise, truck and engine maker Navistar will seek to increase sticker prices by 2% – an increase Michael Cancelliere, the company's president of truck and parts, also believes reflects the “higher value” of the OEM's product line.

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Truck driver shortage projected to hit all-time high in 2017

ORLANDO. The shortage of qualified truck drivers is projected to hit an all-time high of 50,000 by the end of 2017, according to Bob Costello, chief economist of American Trucking Associations (ATA).

This chronic issue was one of the few negative pieces of an otherwise positive assessment of freight demand and the U.S. economy.

“In addition to the sheer lack of drivers, fleets are also suffering from a lack of qualified drivers, which amplifies the effects of the shortage on carriers,” Costello said.

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New Gauge of Freight Shipping and Economy Debuts at ATA

ORLANDO - U.S. Bank announced the launch of a new barometer for assessing the nation's shipping industry on Sunday during the American Trucking Associations' Management Conference and Exhibition in Florida.

The U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index measures quantitative changes in shipment and spend activity, based on data from transactions processed through U.S. Bank Freight Payment.

These transactions are made on behalf of clients across a range of industries, including automotive, manufacturing, food and retail.

U.S. Bank Freight Payment has been providing automated freight audit and payment services for 20 years and processes around $23 billion in global freight payments, according to the company.

Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations, explains about the new U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index. Photo: Evan Lockridge

Published quarterly, the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index includes regional and national breakdowns along with expert commentary from Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations.

Highlights and analysis of the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index for the third quarter include:

A unique feature of the index is that it breaks the data down into five U.S. regions; West, Southwest, Midwest, Southeast and Northeast; based on the state of origin for a shipment.

“Freight shipments are generally not uniform across the country,” said Costello. “That's what ...Read the rest of this story

Freight activity index launched by U.S. Bank

ORLANDO. A new “barometer” for assessing the “health” of the nation's freight industry is being launched by U.S. Bank.

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Lytx touts new video service, compliance monitoring

ORLANDO. Technology provider Lytx highlighted two new services during a press conference here at the 2017 American Trucking Associations (ATA) Management Conference & Exhibition (MC&E): it's new Lytx video services program, unveiled back in September and now being shipped to customers, and new Lytx RAIR compliance services that will be activated December 18 once the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate goes into effect.

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