WARNING LONG WINDED POST LOL
Well I had an opportunity to attend this years Mid America Truck Show (MATS) and I thought I would share some of what I heard with you – reader’s discretion if you continue beyond this point…..
If you have not had a chance to attend an industry show, I encourage you to do so at some point, they are an interesting gathering of old and new school truckers, trucking companies, suppliers and general truck loving enthusiasts. In addition there are seminars on a number of trucking topics ranging from Owner Op concerns like making a profit or booking freight, to ELD compliance and safety and compliance.
The University of Virginia has an institute that focuses on road safety and they held a seminar to share data from their findings on the impact of the Wabco and Bendix braking systems specifically focusing on how these systems impacted safety and driver behavior. To do this trucking companies and drivers volunteered to have cameras placed in their trucks to monitor the systems and record the drivers interactions with them – in one humorous situation a driver who is clearly fatigued just avoids a rear in collision, to help wake himself up, he slaps his face a couple of times before wait for it, pulling out a guitar and starting to play it! The study found that “false” interventions from the system where a driver appeared to be already aware of the braking event but was still notified could be improved upon. A new test will be conducted using the latest generation of the systems which use cameras (forward facing) to enhance “machine learning” and reduce the number of unintended warnings.
The FMCSA also presented an update on the ELD (E-logs) standard that goes into effect this December. Forgive me for those who already know, but because Magnum uses E-logs currently, we have nothing to be concerned about with the December implementation. There may be some changes for us later in 2018, but as things stand today we are in good shape. More interesting is how many companies are seeking to provide Owner Op’s with solutions ranging from app’s that can be placed on most phones or tablets, to devices similar to our Peoplenet. As you learn more about the operation of most of the systems, you end up being very happy with our system’s implementation and its flexibility.
The major truck manufacturers have decided to only attend every other year now to help reduce costs and this year Paccar attended along with Mack, Western Star and Freightliners Run Smart team including their glider division. Fitzgerald was also there with the new Peterbilt 579 glider…strange to see a 579 with a green series 60 Detroit in it! The Peterbilt team says the venerable 587 model is being phased out and a new 579 with an integral sleeper will be introduced either late this year or sometime early next year, the truck will be similar to the Kenworth 680 but will likely have a roofline more similar to the current 587. Of course they didn’t provide any photos, but that’s the general description. Western Star will also be redesigning their 4900, modernizing the cab…again the truck will be introduced next year along with the new Volvo 780 (Volvo decided not to attend this year’s show)
There are lots of YouTube vid’s on the show if you are interested – the outdoor pride and class custom trucks were as always very cool, though not quite as plentiful as those who attend the Great American Truck Show in Dallas TX. And of course there are the concerts and the afterhours stuff…all in all it’s a great break from the road. At home now and looking forward to some downtime before getting back at it on Wed!
Cheers all
Magnum ltd - fargo, nd
Discussion in 'Discuss Your Favorite Trucking Company Here' started by Interplanet Janet, Nov 17, 2014.
Page 1417 of 2244
-
-
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.
-
-
-
-
-
-
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.
Page 1417 of 2244