Overdrive

April 2018 | Overdrive | 27 www.texastrucktuning.com • 817.526.5770 ECM tuning for all engines and makes. Professional tuning options for EGR, DPF and DEF (Urea) deletes for o highway use and exempt vehicles. Nation wide network and fi rst class customer service. If you want to become a dealer, call us today. Mack and Volvo tuning available. * for o! Highway, exempt and closed circuit applications only. Not allowed for use on public roads or emission controlled states. Not legal for sale in the state of California. Call us for pricing and appointments Legendary Consulting_OVD1217_PG.indd 1 10/17/17 3:47 PM Technology giants and startups alike deployed operational autonomous tractor-trailers across the country in the first quarter of 2018. Embark makes cross-country run: Embark said it used its autonomous retrofit system for a 2,400-mile five-day journey on I-10 from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, Florida. Embark did not say whether the driv- er had to take control of its retrofit- ted Peterbilt at any point. Uber tests full autonomy, transfer hubs: Uber said its autonomous wing, Uber ATG, has partnered with a car- rier and shipper operating in Arizona to test its autonomous truck technolo- gy and transfer hub. The ride-sharing company is testing a handoff system where trailers hauled by drivers can be dropped and hooked onto an autonomous rig and vice versa. Uber said its autonomous trucks currently always have a driver in the seat. Waymo to test in Atlanta: Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent com- pany Alphabet, announced it will begin testing self-driving tractor-trail- ers this month in the Atlanta area. Drivers will remain in the cab to assume control if necessary, but the trucks will rely mostly on autono- mous control while hauling freight to Google's data facilities. Waymo's retrofit system adds autonomous capabilities to existing vehicles. The company said it has conducted 5 mil- lion on-road miles of testing with its self-driving passenger cars. Starsky Robotics makes unmanned 7-mile run: Autonomous truck com- pany Starsky Robotics said it became the first to drive in fully autonomous mode on a public road without a person in the cab. An operator more than 100 miles away placed the bobtail tractor in drive on a country road near Clewiston, Florida, for a seven-mile unmanned run at highway speed. Starsky hopes to corner the final-mile market with remotely-con- trolled rigs for deliveries. – James Jaillet Self-driving rigs tested on highways Photos accompanying Waymo's announcement of testing in Atlanta show two blue Peterbilts equipped with the company's sensor system.

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• FLIPPING THROUGH HISTORY | A small fleet owner’s collection of Overdrives provides a fitting finale for Wendy Parker’s last blog post.
• Business: Arbitration case to go before high court The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a lawsuit brought by an owner-operator that challenges his fleet’s requirement that disputes be handled via third-party arbitration.
• COVER STORY: Power plays Electric truck makers promise cleaner, more cost-effective tractors. Two years before the first vehicles hit the road, inadequate infrastructure and fueling capacity threaten to dampen the transition.
• Buyers welcome Economic conditions, tax changes, productivity pressures and equipment improvements have spurred a big increase in truck buying by owner-operators and fleets.
• ELD headaches Much has been made about the operational challenges of running under more rigid hours accounting with an electronic log. Meanwhile, truckers are experiencing a wide range of technical malfunctions.
• Severe service Heavy-haul and severe-service news from Volvo, International, Mack, Freightliner and Peterbilt, plus new products from Marmon-Herrington, Kyocera, Firestone and Toyo.
• Inspectors “putting people out of work.”
• Pulse: Make sure the grass really is greener.
• Conversations still evolving over 14-hour reg.
• Shut down by CARB, teacher keeps learning alive.
• Discovering a double- brokered load.
• ELD violations now merit out-of-service.
• Bill would allow younger truckers.
• ELD waiver extended for livestockers.
• Alleged fraud may impact 2,000 truckers.
• OOIDA wants rehearing of apnea case.
• Son earns back dad’s ’95 Pete 379.
• “Rubber Duck” Mack still quacking.
• Reader Rigs: ’16 389 on the “Edge”; a ’13 Coronado named “Betty”; ’15 389 yanks tanks; ’17 Coronado a heavy hauler; father-son duo’s ’04 W900.
• Gear Guide Hino to debut Class 7, 8 models in 2019.
• FLEET NEWS Fleets continue to hike driver pay.
• BETTER HEALTH Preventing and dealing with nausea.