Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/616524
MAINTENANCE MATTERS 30 // OWNER OPERATOR // JANUARY 2016 fleets today will be advanced vehicle telematics systems. In 10 years, you're going to wonder how you survived without real-time vehicle telemetry, self-diagnosing powertrains and geographic-focused repair options with bay times prescheduled and parts guaranteed in stock. Soon you'll be able to manage vehicle downtime in ways you barely comprehend at the moment. And while breakdowns never will be eliminated from trucking completely, they will become rarer, and the causes usually will be the result of uncontrollable events such as accidents, road debris or vandalism. Invariably, with all of these advances will come new problems. As a recent hacking event with a Jeep SUV proved, connected vehicles are extremely vulnerable to cyber- hijacking attacks. Much work needs to be done to create highly secure Internet-based Wi-Fi communications networks to guard against these crimes. There's another stumbling block that doesn't get nearly the attention that it should: Finding technicians to maintain and repair all of these new systems coming our way. Frost & Sullivan analyst Sandeep Kar calls trucking's current technician shortage a "ticking time bomb." He's spot-on, and it's a problem that's going to get exponentially worse in the near future unless the trucking industry starts taking bold steps now to address and correct this trend. Every futurist I spoke with was bullish on the future of trucking: It will be a vital industry for the world of tomorrow. But that future won't happen unless trucking, as a united industry, makes bold steps and forges new alliances with education and government to start training tomorrow's technicians today. OO