It's certainly no secret that mobile technology is basically upending how we conduct almost every daily task in modern life – from how we work to how we communicate with one another, even how we shop and buy stuff.
[And it's not necessarily all for the better, as this story illustrates.]
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As the West Coast feels ripple effects from the bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping Co., nationally the number of load on the spot truckload freight market fell 5% during the week ending Sept. 24 compared to the week before as truck capacity increased 3%, according to DAT Solutions, its network of load boards.
Those conditions helped send average van and refrigerated load-to-truck ratios down 10% last week with vans at 2.8 available load per posted truck and reefers at 5.5 to 1. The flatbed load-to-truck ratio was 13.2 to 1, unchanged from the previous week.
The ratios are back on par with August levels, according to DAT, but spot truckload rates didn't move much with flatbeds down 1 cent from the week before, for a national average of $1.88 per mile. Vans and reefers were unchanged at an average of $1.64 per mile and $1.91 per mile, respectively. All reported include fuel surcharges.
In contrast, Los Angeles jumped to the second highest spot for the market with the most available outbound loads, behind Chicago. Spot van freight volume and rates surged there last week, up 2 cents to $2.01 per mile. Los Angeles-Phoenix, increased 4 cents to $2.61 per mile, the highest outbound rate, as rates on eastbound, long-haul lanes market made greater gains compared to the previous week.
According to DAT Analyst Peggy Dorf, the bankruptcy of the world's seven largest commercial shipping company started a ripple effect on the whole supply chain, which includes trucking.
"Even if they didn't have cargo on Hanjin ships, big retailers are starting to shift inventory from West Coast distribution centers to other distribution centers farther east,” she wrote in the DAT blog. “October is a critical month for retail freight in advance of the Christmas season, and retailers want to prevent stock-outs while they wait ...Read the rest of this story
Platooning is one of the steps toward autonomous trucking, but still requires drivers in all trucks, NACFE says.
">Platooning is one of the steps toward autonomous trucking, but still requires drivers in all trucks, NACFE says.
">Platooning – the electronic linking of trucks where a lead vehicle largely controls the one following -- would save about 4% in fuel compared to a pair of rigs running separately, says the latest “confidence” report from the North American Council on Freight Efficiency.
The money thus saved will pay back an investment for necessary equipment in one to two years, say estimates in “Two-Truck Platooning,” released Wednesday by NACFE.
"Two-truck platooning is showing real promise as a fuel-saving technology, even when considering the actual performance in real-world use,” said Mike Roeth, the organization's executive director, in a statement.
Fuel savings come from reduced air turbulence between the two tractor-trailers when they operate 40 to 50 feet apart, Roeth said. Reducing that distance should save more fuel, but would introduce operating complications, like reduced air flow to the second truck's radiator.
Testing shows that reduction in fuel use is 7% as the vehicles move at highway speeds, he explained. But probably one-quarter of the time they would not be operating as a platoon as they split up to pick up and deliver freight, stop for driver rest breaks, etc., during a trip. Taking out those times yields the 4% figure.
Payback estimates outlined in three scenarios set equipment costs at $1,050 and $2,800, with the higher figure including more equipment than the lower dollar amount. Installation cost of $200 was also factored in.
Equipment includes collision avoidance systems, adaptive cruise control, and in-cab cameras – all now available on the market, Roeth said. Vehicle-to-vehicle radios, the key element, are not yet available but should be soon as testing and perfecting progress.
Two scenarios assume a tractor would platoon three-quarters of its running time, and a third scenario ...Read the rest of this story
Platooning could potentially deliver a 4% average savings over two trucks in real-world operating conditions, according to Trucking Efficiency's most recent Confidence Report. That is after accounting for traffic, terrain and time when equipped trucks will not be operating in a platoon, explained Michael Roeth, North American Council for Freight Energy (NACFE) executive director.
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