With technology quite literally changing the face of the trucking industry, expect things like automation, telematics and fuel economy to take center stage. Despite low oil prices, trucking manufacturers and industry partners are at the forefront of major industry disruption. Honestly, the trucking industry hasn’t seen this kind of change since the switch to diesel in the 1940s.
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No matter what happens, there is one true trucking tenet that will never change. The load always needs to get where it’s going on time and with no hassles. This has been the mission that has defined the trucking industry since the very beginning.
Get the Load There
Everything, from tractor design to driver comfort to fuel economy, the load always needs to get there on time, every time. Conversely, the fact that fuel prices were going to rise has been a mainstay of the trucking industry, even if they haven’t risen to a truly extreme level quite yet.
Today, we are going to begin with an in-depth look into one specific disruptor: Fuel economy. Everything from semi-autonomous rigs to advanced trailer accessories involve fuel economy. Fleets of all sizes live and die by it.
Still, modern truck fleets understand that fuel prices are volatile, and are likely to swing with little warning. As a result, the trucking industry views fuel economy on the same level it views delivering goods, both safely and on time.
In turn, vehicle and vehicle accessories and component manufacturers are responding to the changing marketplace. Now, a whole new generation of trucks and truck components are delivering on the promise of fuel economy numbers we couldn’t have imagined only a decade ago.
Squeezing the Most Out of Fuel Economy
So profound have these changes been that many are now questioning, how good can it get? Frankly, it can get better. There is still more efficiency to be gained out of Class 8 vehicle and powertrain design for many more years to come. Expect some of those changes sooner rather than later.
Sure, there are a lot of changes taking place today in the Class 8 truck design field, but still, there hasn’t been any dramatic change in the past 25 years. Though lines are cleaner and more aerodynamic, the evolution of Class 8 rigs has been more incremental than earth-shattering.
Overall, the vehicle and the powertrain have remained relatively static over the years, which leads many to wander where the additional fuel savings are going to come from. After all, trailer accessories can only go so far.
In 2009, tractor-trailers could count on around 6 mpg in standard linehaul applications. Today, many fleets find themselves flirting with 8 mpg.
Big Change Ahead
What gives the true believers hope are the stunning SuperTruck concept vehicles we see hitting the roads today. Though the technology is not yet practical or affordable, it gives the average onlooker a good idea of where the industry is headed. And it’s not over-the-top to say it’s headed in the direction of 12 mpg. Who would have thought we would have doubled the 2009 mpg average by, say, 2020?
What some fail to realize is that the commercial vehicle industry is quite literally a blank canvas, especially when compared to the light vehicle market. Each of the major car makers pursue their own strategy where fuel efficiency is concerned, making revolutionary changes hard to come by.
When it comes to trucking, however, there are a lot of players involved in connected solution investments set to change the marketplace. From heavy-vehicle manufacturers to component suppliers and other invested parties, change is coming.
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Over the next ten years, expect to see a more technologically-driven marketplace continuing to expand the changes in tractor-trailer and component design. But how will these efficiencies get wrung out of the system? Surely there must be some signs on the horizon. Of course, you’ll have to join us in Part II of our series, when we dig a little deeper into the details behind the fuel efficiency revolution.