Volvo Trucks North America has been awarded a contract by the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) to offer Class 8 chassis to the more than 50,000 NJPA members. Under the contract, NJPA member agencies can now purchase Volvo VNM, VNL, VNX and VHD models.
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...Read the rest of this storyDuring the harsh winter months in the United States and Canada, proper truck battery maintenance is consistently a top-of-mind item for me. I think about it when I start my car in the 16 degree eastern Pennsylvania mornings. It creeps into my thoughts in the middle of the day when I'm reviewing reports.
For my second column, I wanted to share with you some best practices that our experts employ. It's best to spot potential battery problems as part of a PM (preventive maintenance), as opposed to during a road breakdown.
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...Read the rest of this storyStill from a YouTube video of a Tesla S model owner using the vehicle's autopilot mode.
">The government has closed its investigation into a fatal crash between a Tesla on AutoPilot and a tractor-trailer that raised questions about the safety of autonomous vehicles, and the report offers a number of insights into the advanced driver assist technologies on the path to “self-driving” vehicles.
In May 2016, a Tesla Model S crashed into a tractor-trailer crossing an uncontrolled intersection on a Florida highway, killing the Tesla driver. The Tesla was being operated in Autopilot mode at the time of the collision, but the automatic emergency braking system did not provide any warning or automated braking. Nor did the driver take any braking, steering or other actions to avoid the collision.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report determined that there was no safety-related defect involved in the crash. The agency noted that emergency braking systems like this are designed to reduce rear-end collisions, not crossing-path collisions like this one.
From the HDT archives: What Does the Tesla Accident Mean for Autonomous Vehicle Development?It also pointed out that Tesla's Autopilot system “is an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) that requires the continual and full attention of the driver to monitor traffic and be prepared to take action to avoid crashes.” But in this case, the driver did not have his hands on the wheel, and NHTSA says the crash appears to have involved a period of extended driver distraction (at least 7 seconds). The truck driver told a reporter that the driver of the Tesla was “playing Harry Potter on the TV screen” at the time of the crash.
Since the crash, Tesla has improved its system for monitoring driver engagement. If a driver doesn't respond to visual cues ...Read the rest of this story
Digital navigation and map-production firm TomTom is acquiring Autonomos, a Germany-based autonomous driving start-up that provides research & development consultancy services for self-driving vehicle assistance systems.
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...Read the rest of this storyToday is the day when Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th U.S. president (as improbable as that still sounds) and among the MANY questions I am sure motor carrier executives possess regarding this singular moment in our nation's history is how his administration will impact the trucking industry.
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