On the inside
The trucks themselves have progressed in myriad ways as well. Mike Roeth, executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency in Fort Wayne, IN, touts one of the bigger ones: transmissions.
“Automated manual transmissions have become universal, making trucks easier to drive,” Roeth says. Of course, switching a fleet to automated manual transmissions can cost thousands per truck, he admits, but it may be a perk that can attract new drivers to the industry, especially millennials who may never have driven a standard transmission.
Another innovation is tire monitoring. Many roadside breakdowns are the result of low tire pressure, but pressure monitoring and inflation systems can now help with safety and extending both tire life and fuel economy.
While Roeth concedes tires “now contain new materials and more parts, making them more expensive,” he believes widespread adoption will reduce costs. “As all these advances like assistance with aerodynamics, auto transmissions, different tires and more become popular, the prices will go down.”
Lastly, Elon Musk, of Tesla fame, is planning to debut an electric semi-truck in September. Whether these road warriors take off is anyone’s guess.
On the outside
Vaché says he’s seeing improvement in trailer manufacturing processes, too. For example, a Georgia-based company now makes seamless walls with better, lighter insulation materials that result in decreased overall weight—which allows trailers to transport more product and avoid overweight fines.
“So far, Emerald Transportation Solutions doesn’t make 50- or 53-foot trailers, just what is used for the short haul or local food distribution,” observes Vaché. “Still, the lighter construction materials allow for more product in each shipment, which avoids wasted miles.”
Look Ma, No Hands!
Michael Cammisa, vice president of safety policy and connectivity for the American Trucking Associations in Arlington, VA, is excited about several innovations. “Crash avoidance, cruise control, collision warning, and automatic braking improves the safety of everyone on the road,” he asserts, and notes all “are stepping stones to automated trucks.”
According to Vaché, truck platooning using sensor technology will improve interstate safety by reducing or avoiding crashes, allowing for more efficient traffic flow and decreasing fuel consumption. With platooning, the first truck sets the speed and if it brakes or changes speed, the following vehicles will immediately respond in the same manner with zero reaction time.
Technology rushes by at lightspeed these days: first, there were tests for platooning, then there’s the race to get self-driving trucks on the road, followed by an Uber-like driver service for shippers. How much impact these developments will have on the produce industry remains to be seen, but technology continues to play a significant role in getting fresh fruits and vegetables from harvest to grocer’s shelf.
As shippers embrace the future, new advances are poised to change the way we pack, ship, and deliver perishables from point A to point B.
Field To Fork
What’s next in high-tech transportation depends on where you’re situated in the perishables pipeline. Dan Vaché, vice president of supply chain management for United Fresh Produce Association, confirms “a variety of applications and services that enhance efficiencies in the shipping process.”
Many hark back to the Produce Traceability Initiative, which set the stage for in-field innovation, creating labels at harvest to provide critical information to packing house personnel, sales teams, shippers looking to consolidate loads, and retailers anticipating product.
Orders are placed, pallets are stacked, temperatures monitored, and truck routes tracked for traffic and delays—all through technology. A top benefit in this brave new world is real-time monitoring, so carriers and shippers can be proactive instead of reactive—avoiding in-transit problems, delivery glitches, and claims.
In & Out Of The Truck
Documentation for shipping, too, has been transformed from piles of papers, receipts, and clipboards to electronic documents and signatures. Recordkeeping is now at the touch of a button or two, and can save drivers time and headaches.
“When a carrier has ten different shipper-customers, applying technology and different telematic systems can minimize the confusion,” notes Jon Samson, executive director of the Agricultural & Food Transporters Conference for the American Trucking Associations, Inc. in Arlington, VA.
Such innovation, however, is not without cost or controversy. The debates about mandated electronic logging devices (ELDs) have diminished in fervor, but there is still resistance to a Big Brother-type system knowing a trucker’s every move. But as Samson points out, there is certainly an upside.
The other downside, unrelated to privacy issues, is the initial cost. There’s the cost of the system itself, installation, and usually some sort of subscription fee to transmit information back and forth. But most users, once acclimated, have been happy with the results.
On the inside
The trucks themselves have progressed in myriad ways as well. Mike Roeth, executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency in Fort Wayne, IN, touts one of the bigger ones: transmissions.
“Automated manual transmissions have become universal, making trucks easier to drive,” Roeth says. Of course, switching a fleet to automated manual transmissions can cost thousands per truck, he admits, but it may be a perk that can attract new drivers to the industry, especially millennials who may never have driven a standard transmission.
Another innovation is tire monitoring. Many roadside breakdowns are the result of low tire pressure, but pressure monitoring and inflation systems can now help with safety and extending both tire life and fuel economy.
While Roeth concedes tires “now contain new materials and more parts, making them more expensive,” he believes widespread adoption will reduce costs. “As all these advances like assistance with aerodynamics, auto transmissions, different tires and more become popular, the prices will go down.”
Lastly, Elon Musk, of Tesla fame, is planning to debut an electric semi-truck in September. Whether these road warriors take off is anyone’s guess.
On the outside
Vaché says he’s seeing improvement in trailer manufacturing processes, too. For example, a Georgia-based company now makes seamless walls with better, lighter insulation materials that result in decreased overall weight—which allows trailers to transport more product and avoid overweight fines.
“So far, Emerald Transportation Solutions doesn’t make 50- or 53-foot trailers, just what is used for the short haul or local food distribution,” observes Vaché. “Still, the lighter construction materials allow for more product in each shipment, which avoids wasted miles.”
Look Ma, No Hands!
Michael Cammisa, vice president of safety policy and connectivity for the American Trucking Associations in Arlington, VA, is excited about several innovations. “Crash avoidance, cruise control, collision warning, and automatic braking improves the safety of everyone on the road,” he asserts, and notes all “are stepping stones to automated trucks.”
According to Vaché, truck platooning using sensor technology will improve interstate safety by reducing or avoiding crashes, allowing for more efficient traffic flow and decreasing fuel consumption. With platooning, the first truck sets the speed and if it brakes or changes speed, the following vehicles will immediately respond in the same manner with zero reaction time.
The constant speed maintained by the platooning trucks provides better mileage and may even reduce carbon dioxide emissions as well. “Platooning is probably a couple years away,” comments Cammisa. “Companies are still doing research, and in some states, the following distance laws must be changed.”
Roeth agrees and notes two trucks in a platoon versus two trucks a mile apart saves an average of 7 percent in fuel tests and a projected 4 percent in real-world fuel use. He believes this technology will become a reality in either 2018 or 2019 and U.S. Department of Transportation testing continues.
FRESH FORUM What do you think of autonomous trucks? think of autonomous trucks?
Norita Taylor, Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association
We have many questions about whether such a system of moving goods would require all vehicles to be autonomous to work effectively and safely. We also wonder about the ethical implications, such as whether computers should be allowed to make life and death decisions instead of humans. We have yet to hear anything proposed that would greatly benefit a particular business model in trucking.
Mary C. Aufdemberg, Freightliner Trucks
As with passenger cars, innovations in trucking in terms of autonomous vehicles center on improving safety, fuel efficiency, and driver experience. Several building blocks needed for autonomous driving and platooning are already found on commercial vehicles today.
Regarding safety, examples include antilock brakes, electronic stability control, lane departure warning with cameras, and active brake assist with radar. Regarding fuel efficiency, electronic controls of the engine and transmission have advanced to anticipate road terrain such as hills and curves to optimize vehicle speed and power.
Ellen Voie, Women in Trucking Association, Inc.
Those outside the trucking industry envision, in the large truck next to them, a dirty, smoke-spewing diesel engine with a tired driver shifting gears. The industry’s adoption of technology including driver-assist technology, collision-mitigation devices, connectivity platforms, fuel efficient powertrains, and environmentally friendly emissions are now common. Many of these technologies are the building blocks of autonomous and platoon-capable trucks. Our goal is to get the public’s image to catch up to the technology.
“The engineering isn’t that difficult for platooning,” Roeth contends, “the problem is convincing insurance companies and other motorists it’s safer.” And therein lies the rub: despite studies and tests, many doubt the veracity of such claims and insurers are equally skeptical.
For some, thoughts of ‘robot’ trucks on the highway is the stuff of nightmares. According to a 2017 survey conducted by the American Automobile Association, three-quarters of those polled were afraid to ride in a self-driving car. More than half the respondents, 54 percent, said they felt less safe sharing the road with a completely autonomous vehicle.
Yet many may not even know when or if a driverless vehicle is in their midst, as several companies are already running tests in California, Colorado, Florida, Mich-igan, and Nevada according to the Wall Street Journal.
Automated Delivery
Otto, an Uber Technologies, Inc.-owned company, claims to have delivered the first ever shipment by a self-driving truck in October of last year. While the “driver” sat in the back seat, this truck negotiated Interstate 25 from Fort Collins, CO through Denver to Colorado Springs. At one point, the vehicle’s “driver” remarked he couldn’t have done a better job himself.
A self-driving trucking startup, Embark, has gotten state approval to conduct trials of its vehicles in Nevada, while a few other companies—including Starsky Robotics and Drive.ai Inc. have also joined the fray.
Of course, programming autonomous technology when the truck navigates highways is much easier than making it work for local roads. But advocates say these vehicles, whether cars or trucks, will be able to avoid accidents, reduce congestion, and in the short term make the job of driving more enjoyable.
“I don’t see highly-automated trucks on the road in significant numbers for at least 10 years,” comments Cammisa. “The more a human drives, the more he/she learns from the experience. It’s the same for automated trucks; the more miles they cover, the better the software algorithms.” Even in the next decade, he predicts, autonomous trucks will still need a driver to get on and off the highway.
“In my opinion there will always be a driver in the cab,” states Ed Treacy, vice president of supply chain efficiencies for the Delaware-based Produce Marketing Association. And even though this person may be on the passenger side, taking care of paperwork, resting, and not using hours of service time, it could still revolutionize the shipping industry.
The Driver Crisis
While most have become aware of the driver shortage, the American Trucking Associations says the crisis is not new and has been going on for the last 15 years. What may surprise many is just how critical the crisis is: current estimates put the shortfall of qualified drivers needed to fulfill demand by 2024 at an astonishing 175,000.
“Produce is always the first industry affected by driver shortages, because of the responsibilities we put on our drivers compared to those hauling other commodities,” says Treacy. “They’re responsible for their hours on the road, tight delivery windows, and the temperature inside the trailer to maintain the quality of the product. To attract these drivers, we have to pay them higher rates than other drivers.”
Even so, during times of short supply—like now—Treacy says the pay still isn’t enough to convince some drivers to haul produce.
“We’re working on ways to lower the minimum age for drivers, which is 21,” explains Samson. “We’d like to have 18 years of age, with a potential graduated licensing program, be the minimum for a commercial drivers’ license, matching what the strong majority of intrastate drivers enjoy.”
Even if the age can be lowered, the measure may not attract enough drivers to make up the deficit. And this is where proponents of platooning and autonomous trucks jump in—believing the high-tech innovations will go a long way towards solving the shortage.
The Future
According to Samson, technology will continue to grow from both an agricultural and carrier standpoint, though it may not be able to solve all the problems facing carriers and shippers. Nevertheless, he believes what happens over the next two years should be quite interesting.
