How and when freight is delivered is changing and so are the vehicles that transport truckloads of goods. Old and new are coming together, and the Class 8 trucks of the future will combine automation, connectivity and electromobility while also becoming more integrated.
Susan Alt, senior vice president of public affairs for Volvo Trucks, shared those insights with attendees at NATSO Connect 2019 during her keynote address.
“The truck is more often talking to the trailer. The tractor-trailer is talking to a dispatcher, so we know where the freight is and if it is safely there. That tractor-trailer may be talking to the truck behind it or the infrastructure,” Alt said. “A lot of things are connected.”
Alt told attendees she is especially excited about the safety benefits connectivity can provide, such as a vehicle communicating with infrastructure. “There are so many accidents when the drivers can’t see or there is a change in lanes,” she said. “Can you imagine if a cone can talk to a truck?”
Improving the Driving Experience
While driverless vehicles often make headlines, Alt said Volvo is focusing on the human driver and is working on ways to improve the driving experience. “In the near term we will relax not replace the truck driver,” she said...