Technology news and briefs for the week of March 6, 2022:
Navistar introduces ZEV educational trailer
Navistar has revealed its next innovation in the transition to zero-emission commercial vehicles (ZEV).
The NEXT Experience Trailer – part of the company’s electric-focused business unit it created in late 2019 to answer some of the uncertainly surrounding the deployment of electric trucks – offers immersive training opportunities for dealers and fleet customers to learn more about ZEVs, how the technology is evolving and how Navistar can assist in the transition.
The trailer, which educates about the process and benefits of EV adoption, will be showcased on a tour throughout North America this year with scheduled stops at more than 50 International Truck and IC Bus dealers and select trade shows.
The trailer includes six interactive zones with augmented reality, 3D-printed models, videos and interactive demonstrations. Participants walk through each zone to learn more about Navistar’s products and services, the five Cs of electrification, insight from Navistar engineers who create ZEVs and the lifecycle of commercial vehicle batteries. The trailer walk-through ends with an in-depth session and demonstration regarding ZEV integration.
It is also outfitted to provide the following experiences for ZEVs: sales training, customer meetings and events, dealer and customer high voltage safety and lockout tagout training, introductory sessions for dealer service technician certification, local community zero emissions and safety training, driver training, vehicle charger training and educational programs tailored for students.
Rolling Strong creates free health, wellness program for drivers
Rolling Strong, a health and wellness program provider for transportation companies and drivers, has launched a free program to educate and coach professional drivers about DOT physicals and what they can do to prepare for recertification of their CDL medical certificate.
The program, called Ready Re-Cert collects and analyzes health metrics needed to predetermine a driver’s medical eligibility and identify any risk factors.
“Almost half of the drivers who need to recertify their medical certificate each year receive a short-term card indicating less than acceptable medical conditions,” said Rolling Strong President Stephen Kane. “This is a serious issue that Ready Re-Cert helps resolve by allowing drivers to determine fitness, nutrition, hydration, sleep and other approaches to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, as well as work with coaches to set goals and benchmark improvements.”
Drivers receive encouraging reminders at 90, 60 and 30 days, and two weeks and two days prior to their next DOT medical exam. They can upload their medical card into the app and use an in-app recert checklist that provides support and education as they approach the exam. Additional features are available.
Canada approves another U.S. ELD
Omnitracs LLC’s Intelligent Vehicle Gateway electronic logging device (ELD) has received mandatory third-party certification from FP Innovations for compliance with the Canadian ELD Mandate. Full enforcement of the ELD mandate, which could result in violations and service disruptions for out-of-date fleets, is scheduled for January 1, 2023. Transport Canada on March 7 delayed the timeline from late-June.
The mandate requires federally regulated motor carriers and drivers who maintain daily paper logs for recording HOS to replace existing electronic recording devices – or upgrade software – and paper logs with ELDs that have been tested and certified by an accredited, third-party certification body. So far, 22 devices have been approved for Canada’s EDL list, compared to more than 600 in the U.S.
Software companies partner on vehicle diagnostics, predictive maintenance
CalAmp (Nasdaq: CAMP), a connected intelligence company that uses real-time visibility and insights to help businesses and people track, monitor and recover assets, has partnered with vehicle data expert Noregon to deliver remote vehicle diagnostics and predictive maintenance capabilities to transportation, logistics and fleet operators.
The partnership integrates real-time data insights from CalAmp iOn fleet management software, edge computing and cloud platform services with predictive algorithms in Noregon's TripVision remote diagnostic software to enable preemptive alerts to vehicle issues before critical failures occur.
It gives operators a holistic view into their tractors, trailers and cargo as well as advanced vehicle diagnostics to ensure fleet and driver safety, while preventing costly vehicle downtime that can significantly reduce productivity and profitability.
TripVision provides calculated health and safety scores for each vehicle – color-coded based on severity – along with recommended action plans to inform maintenance decisions that optimize fleet performance. Predictive health scores in TripVision can estimate the mileage and time for when a fault will escalate. This supports early issue detection, which can help reduce maintenance costs, prevent roadside breakdowns and maintain vehicle uptime.
International enhances predictive maintenance planning
The commercial truck brand of Navistar Inc. has enhanced its predictive maintenance planning to maximize uptime.
International is using a data-driven approach to track and prioritize maintenance through Advanced Preventive Maintenance.
Advanced Preventive Maintenance uses data collected from Navistar’s connected services platform OnCommand Connection to calculate fuel economy and identify the optimum maintenance intervals for each make and model of vehicle in a fleet.
Fleets can now work with the International service network to manage all maintenance requirements.
Advanced Preventive Maintenance allows for seamless communication with the International service network and customizable benefits for all fleet sizes.
Advanced Preventive Maintenance allows fleets to create custom templates to fit their overall maintenance needs for the various vehicle models in the fleet. Once the fleet identifies a truck needs service, personnel can request service and schedule a time that fits best for them to have the maintenance performed with their dealer.
Other benefits include: fuel economy-based preventive maintenance schedules to leverage maintenance intervals based on type of vehicle, engine hours or mileage; pre-built vehicle preventive maintenance schedules and ability to build customizable schedule options based on fleet needs; real-time fleet visibility for all sizes of all-makes fleets, including trailers; maintenance “due soon” and “overdue” notifications based on fleet preference; estimated preventive maintenance spend savings for International LT Series and RH Series models.
