{"id":3869,"date":"2019-12-17T16:11:58","date_gmt":"2019-12-17T15:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/?p=3869"},"modified":"2019-12-17T16:11:58","modified_gmt":"2019-12-17T15:11:58","slug":"whats-hot-in-new-trucks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2019\/12\/17\/whats-hot-in-new-trucks\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s Hot in New Trucks"},"content":{"rendered":"

What’s Hot in New Trucks<\/h3>\n

While new heavy-duty trucks tend to get bathed in spotlights whenever they are rolled out, their smaller but equally stout medium-duty brethren have been stealing more of the limelight of late.<\/p>\n

Medium-duty commercial vehicles have not been immune to the forces of technological disruption coming at the trucking industry. Indeed, the switch to electric power and the advent of limited autonomous operation may appear in medium-duty applications before heavy-duty ones. But Class 8 trucks are not holding back, either. On the heavy-duty end of the market, look for a sharper focus by manufacturers on improving the trifecta of fuel efficiency, uptime, and safety.<\/p>\n

OEMs, of course, are in constant communication with their customers to better understand not only current needs, but also to peer into the crystal ball to determine what they\u2019ll be looking for in future vehicles.<\/p>\n

We asked truck makers and others for their takes on what\u2019s important to heavy-duty and medium-duty fleets, as well as where they think the trendlines will take technology in the near future.<\/p>\n

Top Medium-Duty Trends<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Medium-duty truck offerings, specs, and options are evolving, as customer preferences, regulations, and technological trends find their way into vehicle designs. The most widely spotted trends are to more safety-conscious equipment, the return of the gasoline engine, and wider use of telematics.<\/p>\n

1. Safety First<\/strong><\/p>\n

Medium-duty fleets are taking advantage of increased safety enhancements offered by new technology. Steve Tam, vice president of industry forecasting firm ACT Research, sees a significantly higher number of vehicles being spec\u2019d with active safety systems.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s a trend that is \u2014 interestingly \u2014 filtering into medium trucks from both the heavy-duty and light-duty\/passenger car markets,\u201d he says. \u201cI think this is a trend that is going to lead to the eventual standardization of these types of systems on medium-duty trucks, because it just makes sense. Fleet managers often say they have a hard time figuring the return on investment for an accident that never happens because of these safety systems. But the reality is that if you can avoid even one serious accident, or \u2014 God forbid \u2014 a fatal accident, then the investment in safety systems is essentially priceless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glenn Pochocki, director of sales for Autocar, says his company is seeing that drive toward safety in all sorts of medium-duty fleets. \u201cThat\u2019s because the very nature of the job means that vocational fleets have much higher chances of injuries or even fatalities occurring. Their drivers often work outside of the trucks for extended periods. And they tend to operate in more crowded environments with lots of passenger cars and pedestrians close by.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help in these working and driving conditions, Pochocki says, Autocar designed its latest medium-duty truck, the DC Model, with a large, wrap-around, panoramic windshield to increase visibility from inside the cab. \u201cWe paid a lot of attention to upward views, too,\u201d he adds. \u201cYou don\u2019t hear as much about them, but many vocational fleet accidents involve overhanging power lines, tree branches, as well as bridges and other structures. So, we wanted to make sure drivers were able to be as aware of what is above the truck as they are with what\u2019s in front and to the sides of the vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hooking up to a trailer can be time-consuming as well as a safety issue for fleets. Trevor Dorchies, commercial communications manager for Ram Truck, says the company has put extra emphasis on developing systems to make hooking up a trailer and getting it on the road quicker, easier, and safer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an always-present need for more capability and the desire to make hooking and towing large loads easier,\u201d Dorchies says. \u201cWith our Ram Heavy Duty trucks, we make hooking up to a trailer easy with features like the auxiliary camera system supporting up to two different cameras, along with other features like trailer pressure monitoring system, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist and adaptive steering.\u201d<\/p>\n

In revamping its medium-duty product lines, Hino announced at the North American Commercial Vehicle show that safety features from its new heavy-duty XL trucks are finding their way down into their smaller siblings. That includes an array of safety systems becoming available on the Hino Class 6-7 L Series, including electronic stability control, collision mitigation, lane departure warning, active cruise control, and a driver\u2019s seatbelt sensor.<\/p>\n

Chad Semler, vocational marketing manager for International Trucks, says fleets are looking at all aspects of safety, not just high tech. \u201cThe first thing you think of when you say \u2018safety,\u2019 is collision mitigation systems,\u201d he says. \u201cBut fleet managers are increasingly looking at more basic things now.\u201d<\/p>\n

These include features such as enhanced lighting outside of vehicles and in cargo boxes, Semler says, as well as ergonomic hand-holds and steps, which he says give a more natural feel to drivers climbing into a cab than ladders. And visibility ties in with those concerns as well. \u201cWe recently lowered the hood by 7 inches on our all-wheel-drive MV truck,\u201d he advises. \u201cIt makes a big difference for safety and a recent example of how important this area is for fleets.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Gasoline Engines Are Back<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another major trend among medium-duty fleets is a marked return to gasoline engines. \u201cThat\u2019s a definite trend \u2014 no doubt,\u201d says Brian Tabel, executive director of marketing for Isuzu Trucks North America. \u201cEver since we came out of the Great Recession, we\u2019ve seen a slow, but steady, trend toward gasoline engines. About half of our medium-duty sales in North America are spec\u2019d with gasoline engines now. And we\u2019ll have a Class 5 cabover available for sale next year to meet this growing demand.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Medium-duty fleets typically have a much longer replacement cycle than for heavy-duty trucks. \u201cA lot of fleets have moved to replace older trucks, and they\u2019re suddenly confronted for the first time with selective catalytic reduction emissions systems, diesel exhaust fluid, and diesel particulate filters \u2014 and they don\u2019t have the maintenance capability to deal with those issues,\u201d Tabel says. \u201cWe call it \u2018diesel fatigue.\u2019 So, gasoline engines are simply easier for them to run.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kevin Koester, commercial truck brand manager for Ford, says the company now offers a choice of gasoline or diesel powertrains. For F-600, this includes the all-new 7.3L V-8 gasoline engine. \u201cThis Ford-built engine generates more torque and power than the 6.8L V-10 engine it replaces,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd it is offered in a more compact package that provides better maintenance access for technicians. It uses fewer parts than the V-10, resulting in less downtime at the shop and lower long-term ownership costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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ACT\u2019s Tam also attributes the move to gasoline to a lag-effect from emissions systems. \u201cSome medium-duty truck buyers have extremely long trade cycles,\u201d he notes. \u201cIt\u2019s not unusual to see many of them keep trucks for 10 years or more. This may be the first time they\u2019re seeing SCR systems up close. And many of them may be opting not to deal with that technology and the additional maintenance and operating costs that come with it on their new vehicle purchases.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shift to gas engines is a \u201cmajor\u201d trend, according to Bryan Allen, manager, marketing communications, for Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America. \u201cFuso introduced its cabover Class 4 FE Gas model in 2018 with great success to meet this new demand,\u201d he says. \u201cThis quarter, we will begin sales of the industry-only cabover Gas Class 5 work truck, the FE180. This means that the market growth of gasoline-powered work trucks will continue to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

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3. Telematics Time<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like their heavy-duty brothers, medium trucks are becoming increasingly more connected, says Kelly Gedert, director, product marketing, Freightliner Trucks and Detroit Components. \u201cConnectivity solutions are becoming more popular with medium-duty customers, as they want more information and data on the health of their vehicles while they\u2019re on the job or out in the field,\u201d she notes. \u201cWhile a large percentage of over-the-road customers have embraced the use of telematics data, medium-duty customers are utilizing the data available and integrating the data into their operations as well. We are seeing trends in remote diagnostics, proactive diagnostics, as features that will become more common for medium-duty applications in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ford is also taking fleet communications, data and telematics requirements seriously, Koester says. \u201cWe\u2019re updating all of our commercial vehicles, including the F-600, with standard modems with 4G LTE Wi-Fi for up to 10 devices to help keep drivers and crews connected while on the job or on the road. New Ford Telematics and Ford Data Services are available across the lineup to help commercial customers operate their fleets more efficiently and enable fleet managers to enhance uptime and asset utilization, optimize running costs, improve driver behavior, and protect their fleets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Top Heavy-Duty Trends<\/h5>\n

Electric trucks and hydrogen fuel cells may dominate headlines, but heavy-duty OEMs say fleets continue to focus on three major areas when it comes to vehicle specs: fuel efficiency, uptime, and safety.<\/p>\n

1. Boosting MPG<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFuel efficiency optimization is extremely important, because it can have a significant impact on our customers\u2019 bottom lines as well as the environment, especially when it comes to long-haul applications,\u201d says Allison Athey, product marketing manager, Volvo Trucks North America. She points to the Volvo VNL model as a \u201cperfect\u201d example of what Volvo Trucks is doing to meet the needs of improved fuel efficiency and driver comfort for long-haul applications.<\/p>\n

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To maximize fuel efficiency, Volvo Trucks recommends pairing the D13 Turbo Compound engine with the proper driveline for the application. Depending on that application, the aerodynamic features of the truck can also have a considerable impact on the efficiency. \u201cWe work closely with our customers all the time to ensure optimal fuel economy regardless of application and operational factors,\u201d notes Athey.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne trend we\u2019ve seen is that linehaul and regional-haul fleets are choosing lower horsepower ratings to support fuel economy efforts for their fleets specific operating environments,\u201d says Laura Bloch, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. To help meet this customer demand, earlier this year Kenworth added a rating of 405 hp at 1,650 lb-ft torque for the Paccar MX-13 engine.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis rating features a new torque curve that further refines the engine\u2019s fuel economy performance in line-haul and regional-haul applications by lowering the engine\u2019s horsepower rating while maintaining its torque,\u201d she explains. The Paccar Powertrain Fuel Economy Package pairs the 405-hp rating with the Paccar 12-speed automated transmission, Paccar 40K tandem rear axle, and enhanced Kenworth predictive cruise control technology to maximize performance and fuel economy.<\/p>\n

Freightliner announced its latest fuel economy enhancements at the NACV show in Atlanta in October, including teasing a new DD15 Gen 5 engine to be available in 2021. Updates to the next-generation engine allow for more efficient combustion, which increases fuel economy and reduces CO2 emissions. Coming sooner, in 2020, Detroit\u2019s DT12 automated manual transmission will get higher overall ratios that will contribute to fuel efficiency improvements and provide better low-speed maneuverability.<\/p>\n

2. Connecting to Gain Uptime<\/strong><\/p>\n

Class 8 fleets are embracing vehicle telematics systems in a big way as they seek to minimize or even eliminate unscheduled downtime.<\/p>\n

Peterbilt announced a set of new uptime initiatives at the NACV show, with General Manager Jason Skoog highlighting new over-the-air updates for Paccar MX engines and aftertreatment systems beginning in December, and a new Platinum Service Center program to identify the company\u2019s best dealers. Over-the-air updates will leverage the OEM\u2019s existing SmartLinq remote diagnostics hardware and the Paccar Solutions portal, along with a new mobile app, to deliver secure software updates remotely.<\/p>\n

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Mack is committed to giving its customers the most uptime possible, says Roy Horton, director of product strategy for Mack Trucks. \u201cThe only way to give fleets the uptime and total cost of ownership they demand is to give our products superior support in the field,\u201d he says. To deliver on those initiatives, Horton points to a $700 million investment since 2010 in Mack\u2019s 430-plus dealer locations, as well as its GuardDog Connect telematics network.<\/p>\n

\u201cConnectivity and support go hand-in-hand for us,\u201d Horton explains. \u201cYes, we have game-changing telematics. But the key for us are our Uptime and OneCall centers, where we have real, live, humans manning the phones 365 days a year, 24\/7. People don\u2019t like to stand in line waiting for support. And they don\u2019t like pushing buttons and talking to a computer when they have a downtime emergency on their hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

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3. Safety More Than Sells<\/strong><\/p>\n

There has been a significant uptick in safety systems for Class 8 trucks as well \u2014 not only in on-highway trucks, but also in vocational and on-\/off-road applications.<\/p>\n

Volvo, for example, has long seen safety as a core corporate value, and recently enhanced its comprehensive collision mitigation system, Volvo Active Driver Assist 2.0, to meet increased fleet demand. The system enhances the original VADA platform by integrating radar and camera capabilities to help drivers maintain a safe following distance through alerts and improved traffic awareness, as well as automatic emergency braking to reduce the risk of collisions.<\/p>\n

Of course, Volvo\u2019s not alone in offering ever-more-sophisticated driver safety systems.<\/p>\n

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Navistar announced earlier this year it was making Bendix Wingman Fusion standard on all its heavy-duty trucks. Kenworth, Peterbilt, and Mack announced at NACV that they\u2019re offering the latest Bendix Wingman Fusion system with new Highway Departure Braking and Multi-Lane Emergency Braking.<\/p>\n

Freightliner earlier this year announced that the Cascadia would be the first truck in series production in North America to offer SAE Level 2 automation when equipped with the full Detroit Assurance 5.0 suite of safety systems. Navistar has said it will soon follow with Level 2 automation.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFleets just aren\u2019t tolerating unsafe vehicles anymore. They can\u2019t afford to,\u201d says Autocar\u2019s Pochocki. \u201cThat goes for heavy-duty and medium-duty trucks alike. And what we\u2019re finding as an OEM is that we have to design safety in as a fundamental element of the truck. Safety systems just can\u2019t be add-ons anymore. They need to be integrated and work together seamlessly. And OEMs also have to keep in mind that \u2018safety\u2019 doesn\u2019t just mean \u2018around\u2019 the truck. It includes things like good ergonomics with safe entry and egress to the cab, large windshields with wide fields of view as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Technology moves at lightning speed in trucking, and both medium- and heavy-duty fleet managers increasingly understand how leveraging the latest developments can save money. Using the technologies outlined above, fleets today are saving fuel, cutting accidents and associated payouts, and getting vehicles back on the road sooner and keeping them there longer.<\/p>\n

by Jack Roberts<\/a><\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/www.truckinginfo.com<\/a><\/p>\n

FLEET MANAGEMENT AUDIT<\/h3>\n

Fleet management is the use of a set of vehicles in order to provide services to a third-party, or to perform a task for our organization, in the most efficient and productive manner with a determined level of service and cost.<\/p>\n

Fleet management activities are shown in the following graph 1:<\/p>\n

\"fleet<\/p>\n

Graph 1: fleet management activities<\/p>\n

The proposal audit analyses and assesses all fleet management activities shown in the graph 1, and its main goals are:<\/p>\n