Autonomous and connected technologies will help truck fleets to lessen their fuel consumption, make goods transport faster, and ultimately transform the logistics process completely. By 2020, more than 40 million trucks globally are expected to be connected.
To cope with the increasing demand for freight globally, connected technologies including truck platooning and remote diagnostics will enable prominent change in the industry. Such technologies promise benefits for truck fleet operators as well as consumers as they allow goods to be transported from A to B in a more efficient manner.
“Connectivity is the biggest enabler of a lot of potential benefits for this industry,” says Sathya K, director of the automotive and transportation practice at consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. “The benefits of the connected truck include increased fuel economy, less downtime, higher productivity and – ultimately – trucks that drive themselves. Connected solutions will address the critical tasks of the freight operators and logistics service providers for transporting goods all over the world.”
Recent years have seen OEMs offer various telematics platforms that can monitor engine performance data in real time and, in many cases, send alerts when problems arise. Working with third-party software providers, OEMs can also offer fleet management tools such as location tracking, in-cab navigation, routing and drivers’ hours-of-service applications.
Conal Deedy, director of connected vehicle services at Volvo Trucks, says connectivity is key for truck OEMs, noting that customers are using connected data more and more in their operations. “We think it’s very important to use the technology we have available to stay connected with our trucks,” he says.
Repairs speeded up
Volvo’s remote diagnostic platform monitors vehicle performance and sends alerts to its 24-hour call centre. Volvo staff contact the staff at the carrier and advise them whether the detected problem is serious enough to warrant taking the truck off the road or whether it can continue driving. If the truck needs immediate repair, the call centre can locate the nearest dealer or repair facility and order the parts. “That saves time on the repair end,” says Deedy, “reducing diagnostic time as much as 70%.”
Platooning is predicted by many to outline the next generation of connected trucks. Two or three vehicles will autonomously drive in convoy, connected by wireless, with the leading truck determining route and speed.
The interaction of vehicle-to-vehicle communication with innovative features such as automatic distance control will improve road safety and traffic flow while increasing capacity, bringing benefits for the driver and the environment. Andreas Renschler, chief executive of Volkswagen Truck and Bus, says: “Platooning demonstrates how much the transport sector is changing: tomorrow’s trucks are fully connected. This increases safety and efficiency.”
Platooning does not require any equipment along the route beyond the vehicles’ wi-fi connection. But Renschler stresses the necessity of suitable infrastructure for further applications: “In future it will no longer suffice to simply build roads,” he says. “We will need mobile high-speed internet alongside these routes as soon as possible. Our highways have to also become data highways in the future.”
Neelam Barua, senior industry analyst at consultancy Technavio, explains that, after 2030, the truck industry will see an influx of autonomous technologies at automation level 3 or higher which will provide multiple benefits such as lower fuel consumption and decreased carbon emissions. “We believe that innovative technologies such as platooning will cut fuel consumption by 20%.”
Faster deliveries
Barua says that technologies such as platooning will enable better use of road capacity as well as increased traffic flow. “In future we will see dedicated highways that allow only trucks where they will be able to travel quickly due to there being no other vehicles in their way. This will enable faster freight delivery.”
Barua says Technavio estimates that connectivity will be enabled in more than 1 million trucks by 2020.
Frost & Sullivan’s Sathya explains that connected technologies will allow for more efficiency in freight transport. One example of how the technology will enable this is integration with an advanced driver-assistance system such as rollover assistance. When a driver negotiates a sharp bend at high speed, the system synchronises the information about the location and the vehicle. “This technology senses if the truck is moving too fast for a turn based on cargo weight and factors like the vehicle’s centre of gravity in relation to the metrics associated with the corner, and warns the driver if needed,” says Sathya.
In future, insurance companies or shippers will also be able to make sure that trucks follow a specific route (avoiding dangerous roads), by using navigation technologies. Sathya says: “Telematics units will also be able to recognise that it is time for the driver to take a rest based on the tachograph information. It will identify the nearest parking space and provide route guidance to reach the destination.”
Sathya says analysis from Frost & Sullivan shows that 40% of fleet managers feel that connected trucks are a must have. “And with smart roads and smart cities, smart trucks will be a necessity.”
Another benefit of connected trucks is in boosting powertrain efficiency. Sathya says: “Integrating telematics with the powertrain for more efficiency, and optimum performance, will lead to maximum uptime. This is augmented by vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems, which enable trucks to talk to each other, sharing engine power data, braking, and other features via connected infrastructure.”
In future, telematics vendors will be a one-stop solution provider for the trucks industry, says Sathya. “They will connect all those involved in transporting the goods – drivers, fleet operators, dealers, service stations, insurance companies, and other authorities.” They will also receive information from everyone who is involved in the logistics network in real time – about the condition of the truck, goods carried, traffic, weather, parking availability and much more. “When trucks are connected with the internet, this will allow users to easily pay for fuel, tolls, parking, infotainment, and other services in real time,” says Sathya.
Transformed by telematics
The next big trend, explains Sathya, is the advent of the open telematics platform. It will allow fleet companies to download value-added apps on a need basis. “In future, any third-party app developer can partner with a telematics vendor and develop apps that can work on their telematics platform,” he says. “This allows users to directly purchase the apps from the telematics platform, like an app store.”
By doing so, telematics vendors can offer a complete business solution which not only optimises fleet operation but also creates business opportunities for drivers by addressing the empty miles.
While self-driving trucks plying smart streets in smart cities may be decades away, “for most carriers,” says Sathya, “the connected fleet is a reality and that connectivity will only increase down the road”.