Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/712836
we've improved the robustness and fuel efficiency of our automatic transmissions," he says. Year-to-date, approximately half of Peterbilt's Class 8 conventional trucks – both vocational and on- highway – have been spec'd with an automated or automatic trans- mission. But the transmission isn't the only component getting a heavy dose of automation. The over- all automation of the powertrain itself has emerged as a trend, an advancement that is more about driver comfort, retention and re- cruitment, says David Hillman, vice president and general manger for Navistar's vocational lineup. There's more optimization be- tween the engine and transmission, as well as more electrical integra- tion of complex body and truck electronics using features such as Freightliner's SmartPlex multi- plex electrical system, says Mary Aufdemberg, director of product marketing for Freightliner Trucks. Creature comforts critical to driver retention "We have heard from our custom- ers that drivers are increasingly important in the decision about brand and specs of the truck, and that trend seems to be increasing," says Ann Demitruk, vice president of marketing for Western Star. "Vocational fleets are doing a lot to make the profession and driving a truck more appealing," Aufdemberg says, "and are look- ing for specs that will make driv- ers enthusiastic about their jobs and productive." Many of the changes flowing through the work truck market are being influenced by light pickups. "It wasn't that long ago that your pickup was just sort of a basic work tool," Hillman says. As pickups have seen more creature comforts, Class 8 driver comfort expectations have also increased. Indispensable telematics Beyond the powertrain, trucks have developed the capability to make some of the more com- monplace decisions for the driver. For example, Navistar's Diamond Logic electrical system can be programed to turn on the head- lamps automatically when the windshield wipers are activated. "Customers will rely more on telematics for route planning, to diagnose problems and to make service decisions," Aufdemberg adds. Baney says drivers are increasing- ly looking for instantaneous feed- back about the truck's operation. "In the work zone, the driver needs to concentrate on the status of the payload, PTO, dump bed, and what's happening around the truck," he says. "The idea is to [provide] the driver the right information at the right time for enhanced productivity." Telematics are making a signifi- cant impact on fleet uptime and maintenance management, Cook says, "and its importance will con- tinue to increase as the technol- ogy evolves with more functional- ity and further integration of more truck systems." Technology has also made the spec'ing and body building pro- cess more efficient. A generation ago the spec'ing process involved paper schematics and body- builder manuals couriered back and forth. Today, application engineers at the truck OEM work closely with the body builder to ensure that the chassis and body come together as expected, Baney says. Today's vocational customer is also increasingly concerned with how a truck will help their bot- tom line, versus simply having the biggest truck on the jobsite, Aufdemberg says. And contractors are starting to recognize the investment in safety technology. "It's got a lot of value for their bottom line," Hillman says. "[Customers] really have a handle on their revenues and their costs, and there is an ap- petite for approaches that enable them to be better." August 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 74 heavy trucks | continued Truck telematics are making commonplace decisions for the driver. Selecting gears with Mack mDrive.