Virtual tech helps solve real-world problems
Insiders - As tech advances, trucking refuses to be left behind. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are transforming training and operations in fleet. These technologies are not new tools — but they're proving to be essential for improving safety and efficiency. But, it's expensive.
I first encountered this tech on the show floor at the TMC conference in early March and set out to interview The Learning Network, the company that helped me experience augmented reality first hand. In today's featured article they explain how these tools are making training and maintenance more effective.
Are you curious about how VR and AR are being used in trucking? Do you wonder if the cost of these technologies is worth the investment? Let us know.
Inside today's newsletter
💰The link between trucker wages and safer fleets
🚚 FMCSA steps up following double-brokering scam
📍USDOT starts mapping future freight network
🧾 Restoring per diems for company drivers
🌎 Fleets still unconvinced by EPA GHG targets
All this and more in today's edition of The Inside Lane.
Virtual reality solves trucking's real world problems
The trucking industry's adoption of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies marks a significant shift towards enhancing training protocols and increasing operational efficiency, addressing real-world challenges effectively. Major U.S. fleet operators are investing millions in these technologies to not only improve the safety standards and skills of drivers and mechanics but also to significantly reduce operational costs through more efficient practices.
How are VR and AR being used? VR is a powerful tool for training drivers, allowing them to experience a variety of road conditions and emergency scenarios in a completely safe, virtual environment.
What benefits do these technologies bring to the industry? They enhance safety, improve training efficiency, and reduce operational costs. By simulating realistic and complex driving situations, VR helps reduce the risk of accidents, which in turn can lead to lower insurance premiums and less downtime for repairs.
Read more on The Inside Lane.
🙂 GOOD DAY:
The U.S. Department of Transportation has kick-started development of the long-delayed National Multimodal Freight Network (NMFN) - an initiative to reform goods movement across the country. It’s asking for industry feedback to help prioritize infrastructure investments, and a map that network is due this summer.
🙁 BAD DAY:
Campaigners are demanding reforms to marijuana screening, claiming almost 38,000 CDL holders failed tests last year, resulting in an “exodus” of drivers from the industry. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) says THC can show up in urine tests for weeks or months - whereas oral fluid testing narrows that to a few days.
- CDL Life
Lawmakers consider restoring per diems for company drivers
A bill which would reintroduce tax deductions for company drivers is gaining support in the House and Senate. The Tax Fairness for Workers Act (HR4963) would enable employees to claim relief on travel expenses, union dues and items such as uniforms that are required for their jobs. Per diem deductions were removed in 2017.
Is better pay the foundation for safer trucking?
Decades of deregulation, increased competition and suppressed trucker salaries are impacting road safety, experts have warned. New research suggests improved wages would encourage compliance with hours of service rules, and reduce the risk of fatigue or speeding. IIHS data shows 4,714 people were killed in truck-related crashes in 2021 - that’s a 39.3% increase since 2011.
FMCSA flexes muscles in fight against broker fraud
The FMCSA has forced Uber Freight to disclose details of a double-brokered transaction which left a carrier unpaid. Owner-operator Richard Blaga filed a complaint having been offered $6,000 for an $8,850 load. FMCSA intervention showed Uber Freight had already paid the fraudulent carrier $6,000 - the true rate for the load - so would have been making a loss paying Braga too. It’s only the second time the agency has intervened in this way.
- GOING GREEN: Roadrunner reopens ex-Yellow terminal in Atlanta
- EPA RULES: Fleets slam new emissions targets
- ELECTRIC CARS: US incentives discriminatory, China tells WTO
- HANDS ON: Ford's automated driving tech active during fatal crash NTSB confirms
Quote of the Day:
“I really think the trucking community understands the predicament with this regulation. Massive reductions in diesel-truck emissions already exist, plus more to come. The trucking industry has gone above and beyond in their part to clean the air.”
Dan Ruoff, maintenance supervisor, Alegre Trucking
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Be safe out there -
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