The following comes from the November 2017 issue of Truck Parts & Service. To read a digital version of the magazine, please click the image below.
Autonomy is a big word in the future of trucking discussion, but a bigger word looms over the industry as the shift toward driverless vehicles takes place: connectivity.
Connectivity will be a key component in how the truck tells the world around it of its needs and where it’s going, and will play a role in shifting the parts distribution and maintenance networks.
“Connected truck means a truck connected to the world outside,” says Sandeep Kar, chief strategy officer at Fleet Complete, a global commercial vehicle telematics and Internet of Things firm.
Additionally, Kar says a truck will never be fully able to drive itself without the ability to connect and communicate with its environment.
Two of the most prominent current trends in trucking are the electrification of the truck and the connected truck. Kar says each will have an impact on autonomy, adding powertrain electrification and autonomy are mutually independent but will have overlap areas where they will converge in the future.
