Overdrive

July 2018 | Overdrive | 25 CALL US TODAY! ( 877 ) 557-8782 OUR NATIONAL INVENTORY ONLINE www.LKQHEAVYTRUCK.com SEARCH WE HAVE PARTS FOR THE LONG HAUL RECYCLED, RECONDITIONED, REBUILT, AND AFTERMARKET Untitled-2 1 12/6/16 9:02 AM Automation is coming to back-office processes much more quickly than it is likely to be implemented in heavy vehicles on public roads, industry economists said last month. Economist John Larkin of Stifel Financial and Noel Perry of Truckstop.com spoke at the Truckstop. com Connected conference in May on automation in trucking, particularly on how it's bearing down on brokers faster than truck drivers. Automation in location tracking, pricing, billing, invoicing and capacity sourcing (putting load choice more firmly into the hands of owner-operators with communications tools) is coming into place, the economists said. "The power of the tech- nology is so great that if you simply lay back and depend on your experience and relationships, you will fail," Perry said. Speaking to brokers, he said it's a question of whether they automate first or their competition — the new crop of technology-enabled new-entrant brokers. "You know what has to be built into that technology — you'll know how to use it to make your relationships, pricing and other expertise all that much better." Larkin offered a realistic counterpoint to prognosti- cators who say autonomous technology has the long- haul operator's livelihood in its short-term crosshairs. He said he understands the attraction to automated vehicles, noting that recruit- ing and employing quality drivers within the financial constraints on the trucking business is increasingly diffi- cult. Yet there will be oppo- sition on various grounds. For those who say they can put an 80,000-pound automated truck on a chaotic public road and do it safely, Larkin said, "getting highway safety lobbyists convinced of that is a big challenge. [There will be] opposition from the railroad industry, and organized labor will be gen- erally opposed. "I think the industry is going to be different 10 years from now than we see it today as a result" of automation, he said. But "OTR trucking and last- mile delivery will be the last things automated." – Todd Dills Brokers first to get automation impact, economists say

• Cover
• Good prep defuses Roadcheck worries.
• Pulse: Technology opens door for truck mayhem.
• Personal conveyance and “truck stop lawyers.”
• Bullying customer may be shipper of last resort.
• Traversing Georgia’s 190-mile parking desert.
• Freightliner debuts two electric trucks.
• Congress debates livestock/ag hours regulations.
• Bill would repeal excise tax on truck purchases.
• Payments may loom from fradulent services case.
• Brake inspection blitz set for September.
• Coverage from the 36th annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs.
• Hot pink 379 stays in the family.
• Reader Rigs: Heavy-hauling ’06 W900L; chromed-out 2000 379; ’16 Coronado glider carves its own path;’16 389 has Georgia power; Canadian reefer-hauling ’06 W900.
• EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT Dashcams.
• GEAR GUIDE Window deflector, tires, tape, more.
• FLEET NEWS Carriers still hiking driver pay.
• BETTER HEALTH Knowing risk factors for diabetes.
• TURNING POINT Overdrive’s Dashcam Central shows a trucker’s questionable right turn on red.
• Business: Company driver pay swelling in 2018 Company driver pay per mile surged in the first quarter of 2018 from a year ago, with the refrigerated sector leading the way, according to a survey of mid-size to large carriers.
• COVER STORY: Guaranteed pay Fleets are increasingly introducing plans that promise company drivers a minimum weekly pay. Find out what’s driving the trend and what it could mean for owner-operators.
• Guarding personal data Because of their constant traveling, truckers can be particularly vulnerable to financial loss and a trashed credit rating from identity theft. The resulting legal complications also can threaten their livelihood.
• Talent finalists headed for Dallas James Nelson, Mandi Jo Pinheiro and B.J. Williams will compete next month at The Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, where the drivers have been invited to participate in the Overdrive-Red Eye Radio Trucker Talent S
• Mix business, pleasure at GATS A new tailored driver recruitment matchup at the Great American Trucking Show joins established highlights such as Pride & Polish show trucks, live music, business seminars and health screenings.