Trucking’s Future Now

Trucking's Future Now - Main Image

The way Americans work and live has changed forever because of advancements in science, information and technology in the last 15 years that have outpaced those of the last century. Since 2000, we’ve seen revolutionary introductions such as Google, hybrid vehicles, social media, human genome mapping, tablets, consumer global positioning systems and 3D printing, just to name a few.

The trucking industry has been quick to adopt many consumer-born advancements into trucks and fleet operations. Look no further than passenger-car advanced safety systems and the smartphone. Today’s trucks are safer than ever thanks to lane departure warning and active collision mitigation systems. Drivers are more productive, armed with a mobile solution that enables hours-of-service compliance, pre-trip inspections, scanning, routing, weather alerts and more – all of which were manual tasks just a few years ago.

But what are the next evolutions in equipment and technology, and how will they affect freight transportation? How will that freight be delivered, and who will deliver it?

The editors of Commercial Carrier Journal and its sister publications Overdrive, Truckers News, Successful Dealer and Truck Parts & Service asked these questions of transportation industry leaders, scholars and futurists, including many of the speakers at the 2015 Commercial Vehicle Outlook, an event co-produced by CCJ and the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association.

The result is this special report, which addresses the key changes to transportation that likely will happen in the coming decades, from driverless vehicles that diagnose themselves to smartphones that analyze driver health and wellness, as well as technological and societal changes.