Author: Vitaliy Dadalyan

Elon Musk shares glimpse of Tesla’s electric big rig

Telsa's founder and CEO also says cross-country autonomous car trip will happen this year.

Elon Musk, CEO and chairman of Tesla Motors, shared a glimpse of the company's planned electric truck, which he said will be launched in September.

He spoke at the 2017 TED conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The photo (seen above), which immediately went viral, is extremely flashy, but in many ways is not all that dramatically different than other concept vehicle images truck manufacturers have shown in recent years.

read more

...Read the rest of this story

SmartDrive offers additional camera option

Firm's expanded SmartDrive 360 on-demand video system can now trigger up to four cameras simultaneously based upon high-risk maneuvers.

SmartDrive Systems is adding the option for additional cameras to its SmartDrive 360 on-demand video package to provide better insight into the more frequent causes of vehicle collisions as well as to better exonerate truck drivers in all collision types.

read more

...Read the rest of this story

Vocational truck market reviving

Western Star sees vocational and prestige heavy-duty truck sales outpacing a relatively flat market in 2017.

PHOENIX. As part of the Daimler Trucks North America family, Western Star fills two important and “very specific” product needs, according to Kelley Platt, the brand's president. First is the heavy-duty Class 8 vocational market, which accounts for approximately one-third of the overall U.S./Canadian Class 8 retail market and roughly 75% of Western Star's sales. The second is the premium or image-building Class 8 on-highway tractor segment which Western Star addresses with its 5700 model.

read more

...Read the rest of this story

Mother Searches for Trucker who Tried to Save her Daughter

<img width="150" src="http://www.automotive-fleet.com/fc_images/news/m-young-woman-1.jpg" border="0" alt="

The late Dorothy Marko Photo courtesy of Truckload Carriers Association

">

The late Dorothy Marko Photo courtesy of Truckload Carriers Association

">

The tragic death of a young woman in Oklahoma has led a grieving mother to search for a truck driver who stopped to try and save her daughter.

Dorothy Marko, 25-years old, sustained fatal injuries when she swerved off of Highway 70 near Soper, Okla., at 5 am on April 23. She crashed into a tree, causing her truck to burst into flames. A lone truck driver stopped to help her as other motorists slowed down only to take pictures of the crash scene.

The driver helped her escape through the back of her vehicle as her clothes were burning off of her body, and comforted her by the side of the road as she fell unconscious. When emergency personnel arrived, she was airlifted to a hospital in McKinney, Texas, where she succumbed to her injuries.

The young woman's mother, Brenda Marko, is now trying to find the truck driver to thank him for trying to save Dorothy and for comforting her in her final conscious moments. She is asking anyone with information on who the driver might be to contact the Truckload Carriers Association at 703-838-1950 or email [email protected].

Related: Highway Angel of the Year Rescued Driver Stranded in Flood

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

...Read the rest of this story

Samsung and Magellan Partner on ELD Solution

<img width="150" src="http://www.automotive-fleet.com/fc_images/news/m-samsung-eld-3.jpg" border="0" alt="

Photo via Samsung

">

Photo via Samsung

">

Samsung Electronics America has partnered with GPS navigation provider Magellan to deliver an ELD-compliant hours-of-service tracking solution for short- and long-haul trucking.

Samsung mobile devices will now be part of Magellan's fleet management solutions portfolio as part of an agreement between the companies. Magellan's fleet solutions can be integrated and pre-loaded across a range of Samsung mobile devices, requiring minimal installation for drivers and offering device flexibility for fleets.

They are available on the Samsung Galaxy E and Galaxy A tablets, as well as select Galaxy S7 smartphone models.

Magellan and Samsung's fleets solutions include:

ELD-compliant Hours of Service: Magellan's FMSCA-certified hours of service offers automated logging tools, reports, and alerts to keep drivers on time and in compliance. A dispatch and backend web portal allows for HOS, DVIR and IFTA reports, while on-device data transfer and co-driver support makes roadside inspections more simple and efficient.Magellan Fleet Navigation: Magellan's commercial fleet navigation software delivers truck-specific map data, ranging from maximum vehicle heights on bridges to roads allowing hazardous containers. Combined with Magellan's routing engine, the solution provides a safety-focused navigation experience for truck carriers. Multi-Purpose Use: In addition to fleet use, the solution also serves as a personal device that offers access to a driver's favorite content, such as movies, books, and music, for downtime while on the road.

"Helping the trucking industry be compliant with ELD standards by the end of the year is critical and Samsung is committed to bringing these solutions forward," said Kevin Gilroy, executive vice president and general manager, Samsung Electronics America. "The Magellan HOS Compliance solution is a powerful, comprehensive product that brings the best of fleet navigation software to the market.”

Related: 14 Things You Need to Know Before ELDs Become Mandatory

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

...Read the rest of this story

Uber’s Autonomous Vehicle Head Stepping Aside During Legal Battle

<img width="150" src="http://www.automotive-fleet.com/fc_images/news/m-levandowski1-1.jpg" border="0" alt="

Anthony Levandowski speaking about the future of self-driving trucks at last year's ATA Managment Conference & Exhibition. Photo: Evan Lockridge

">

Anthony Levandowski speaking about the future of self-driving trucks at last year's ATA Managment Conference & Exhibition. Photo: Evan Lockridge

">

Anthony Levandowski, head of Uber's Advanced Technologies Group and founder of autonomous truck startup Otto, has stepped aside from that role in the midst of a legal battle with Waymo, according to a Business Insider news report.

Earlier this year, Levandowski was accused by Waymo, his former employer, of stealing technologies related to a custom-built Lidar radar sensors and taking them to his new company Otto. Waymo is owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google.

In a detailed blog post, Waymo outlined the reasons it believed Levandowski took 9.7 gb of data, including blueprints, design files, and testing documentation from his former employer before starting Otto.

In an email to employees, Levandowski explained that he was removing himself from all duties related to Lidar (light detection and ranging) development at Uber during the litigation of Waymo's lawsuit. He asked employees not to include him in any Lidar-related activities, meetings, or even email threads. As a result of the change, he will no longer be the head of the Advanced Technologies Group at Uber.

It is assumed to be a defensive move by Uber to protect its Lidar technology, which is a key part of its self-driving cars and trucks. The case could have major ramifications for Uber and Levandowski depending on how the courts rule in the lawsuit. It could require Levandowski to leave all work on self-driving cars or prevent Uber from continuing its Lidar development, according to a TechCrunch post.

Otto was acquired by Uber in August of last year for $680 million. According to Business Insider, during the case, Waymo attempted to depose Levandowski, who was not directly named in the ...Read the rest of this story

To Outset, or Not to Outset

<img width="150" src="http://www.automotive-fleet.com/fc_images/articles/m-wheelsapril-1.jpg" border="0" alt="

The greater axle track width used with dual wheels would make that same axle too wide when equipped with wide-single tires. Photos: Jim Park

">

The greater axle track width used with dual wheels would make that same axle too wide when equipped with wide-single tires. Photos: Jim Park

">

It's easy enough to slap a wide-single wheel onto a hub where there used to be dual wheels. But there's a little more to think about when replacing wide-singles with duals. In fact, any tire and wheel modifications from the original spec should be carefully thought through before the torque wrenches come out. There's more at play here than meets the eye — especially the untrained eye.

In the aftermarket, where professional guidance might not be readily available, one could mistakenly create an overload scenario and reduce the fatigue-life of the wheel bearings, cautions Brandon Uzarek, technical service engineer, field engineering with Accuride Corp.

“It's important for fleets to be mindful of how the whole wheel end system is integrated, from axle and wheel-end components to the wheel itself,” Uzarek says. “Some fleets are experiencing undue wheel bearing, hub and spindle wear due to the wheel-axle outset mismatch, usually in the aftermarket when replacement wheels are installed. Fleets don't always contact the axle manufacturer to understand what's necessary for their application. They could avoid the bearing wear problem if they were aware of its potential causes.”

Upfront, when the truck or trailer is new, owners usually don't have to worry too much about the wheel-end spec. There are things to consider here, such as suspension and frame clearance and the width of the tires relative to the overall width of the vehicle, but the OEM and the axle/suspension suppliers usually take that into account when approving the spec.

“Historically, trailer suspensions (air or mechanical) were designed to accommodate most wheel offsets and tire combinations, as the suspension was a standalone purchase component,” explains Bill Hicks, director-product planning, Americas, for SAF-Holland. “With ...Read the rest of this story