Otto, Budweiser Announce First Shipment Using Autonomous Truck

If you're in Colorado Springs, you might buy a can of beer that was shipped by a self-driving truck.

Otto and Budweiser announced Tuesday that they have reached a major milestone on the road to autonomous trucking with the completion of the world's first shipment using a self-driving truck.

Otto, which is now owned by Uber, teamed up with Anheuser-Busch to haul 51,744 cans of Budweiser from Fort Collins, through downtown Denver, to Colorado Springs. By using cameras, radar, and lidar sensors mounted on the vehicle to “see” the road, Otto's system controlled the acceleration, braking, and steering of the truck to carry the beer exit-to-exit without any human intervention.

Walter Martin, a professional truck driver since 2007, monitored the 120-mile journey down I-25 on October 20 from the sleeper berth in the back. Otto says the project had full support from the State of Colorado.

“We are always looking for new innovations and technology,” explained Anheuser Busch's James Sembrot in a video posted by Otto. “Otto's trucks are the next area of transportation innovation.”

The driver is still involved in picking up the load, making sure the freight is secured in the trailer. Once the truck is on the Interstate, he flips a switch and the truck drives itself down the road.

As HDT's Rolf Lockwood reported earlier this year, Otto hardware and software is tuned for the consistent patterns and easy-to-predict road conditions of highway driving. Sensors are installed high atop the truck, which offers an unobstructed view of the road ahead. With highways making up only 5% of U.S. roads, Otto says this allows a tight testing focus on a specific set of trucking routes critical for the American economy.

The driver monitored the 120-mile trip on I-25 from the sleeper. Photo courtesy Otto.

Related: Self-Driving Trucks ...Read the rest of this story

Fleetmatics: Tracking tech and driver screening desired for school buses

Fleetmatics Group recently commissioned KRC Research to conduct a survey to examine U.S. confidence in school bus safety, and identify the top areas for improvement.

The results find that close to three fourths of Americans (71 percent) are confident in the current state of school bus safety. In fact, nearly 8 in 10 Americans (79 percent) are confident in the timeliness of their school buses, suggesting a high level of trust that parents and students will not be left waiting.

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Where trucking rates go from here

So by now you've no doubt heard about the first “live load” of freight hauled by Otto the self-driving truck (go here and here for more on that.)

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Fuel prices dip down for the week

The national average retail pump price for both diesel and gasoline declined for the week, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), though on a regional basis and in gasoline's case prices are now higher than year-ago levels.

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HDT Emerging Leaders Nominations Extended Through Friday

Heavy Duty Trucking magazine is seeking nominations for the HDT Emerging Leaders honor, a group of young trucking industry leaders already making a difference in his or her fields. The award is being sponsored by Omnitracs, the fleet management and telematics software provider.

The deadline has been extended through Friday, Oct. 28 so nominate someone soon.

We're looking for young professionals who are influential, innovative and successful, who can point to outstanding accomplishments and leadership qualities, and who have a passion for the trucking industry.

Emerging leaders will be under 40 years of age and work for a for-hire, private, government or vocational fleet. The award nomination is open to those employed in any aspect of a fleet's business at any level including management, maintenance sales, marketing, safety, IT, training or elsewhere.

Whether a person is in the top management position of a company, a shop foreman or the IT person who led a key data transition, as long as they are making a difference in the trucking industry they are eligible for nomination.

Leaders honored as an HDT Emerging Leader will be featured in an article in our December print magazine issue. Additionally, three of the Emerging Leaders will be included in a webinar discussion. Details on the webinar are forthcoming.

The nominee must be under 40 years old as of Jan. 3, 2016, self-nominations are also being accepted.

To nominate an Emerging Leader, fill out our online nomination form found here.

Related: Heavy Duty Fleets Honored for Sustainability and Efficiency at FTX

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TODCO Offers WeatherTite Pro Weather-Resistant Roll-Up Door

Transportation Division of Overhead Door Corporation has introduced the WeatherTite Pro, a lightweight, weather-resistant roll-up door for trailer and truck body applications.

The WeatherTite Pro improves upon the previous model by using 100% recyclable co-polymer panels that reduce weight and improve heat tolerance. Compared to wood roll-up doors, the WeatherTite Pro eliminates swelling, warping, finish delamination and rotting.

The WeatherTite Pro panel weighs 25% less than the standard WeatherTite panel and is 37% lighter than ¾-inch wood and ¼'inch plate-style panels. The lighter door weight increases payload potential and allows the option of installing a long-life counterbalance spring that can reduce downtime and maintenance.

Results of ASTM D648 Heat Deflection Testing at 66 psi conducted by TODCO shows WeatherTite Pro has a 23% higher heat tolerance than standard WeatherTite panels, reducing the opportunity for warping in hotter climates.

Additional features of WeatherTite Pro include:

The list of available options includes 1- and 2-inch SupeRollers that have been tested to last up five times longer than standard steel rollers and EZ Seals, dual durometer side seals that reduce seal installation time by 50% compared to rubber seals.

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Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Proper spec'ing will keep tires in service longer. Highway tires are no match for the mean city streets. Photos: Jim Park

Maximizing tread life is all about the contact patch — literally where the rubber meets the road. Pavement is abrasive by design. That's how you get friction between the tire and the road surface — in other words, traction. But excessive friction or uneven contact between the pavement and the tire will cause tread to wear away faster than you should. It's important that you do all you can to keep your tires running straight and true.

Before we get to alignment and pressure management, let's look at the tires themselves. Rib-type treads will generally wear longer than lug-type treads because there's less movement of the tread blocks between the body of the tire and the road. Lug treads can squirm and wiggle under load, and that movement translates into scrubbing, which as the word implies, scrubs away tread rubber.

Deeper treads squirm more than shallow treads, and thus wear away faster. It may seem like tires with deeper tread last longer, but that's only because there's more rubber there to begin with. But if you measure tread loss by miles per 32nd of an inch of rubber, you'll notice that deeper treads wear faster when the tread is new (deep) and the wear begins to abate as the tread becomes shallower.

Tread rubber compounds can affect wear rates, too. Compounds are often tuned for specific applications and wheel positions.

“Tread rubber compounding affects tread life in a variety of ways, and significantly influences tire performance attributes such as tread wear, rolling resistance, resistance to cutting and chipping, and traction — all of which play a role in tire tread life,” says Gary Schroeder, director of commercial vehicle and global OEM sales for Cooper ...Read the rest of this story