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Truck
Boat tail reduces truck fuel consumption by 7.5 percent
By Darren Quick
18:57 November 5, 2009 PST
European tests have shown that a boat tail – a tapering protrusion mounted on the rear of a truck – leads to fuel savings of 7.5 percent. The fuel savings, which also means a cut in emissions, were realized by the boat tail dramatically reducing the drag caused by the lower-pressure effect that occurs in the wake of a vehicle. Read More
California gets world first 'green' heavy duty truck - the zero emission Tyrano
By Jeff Salton
20:38 October 28, 2009 PDT
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has introduced Vision Industries’ Tyrano semi truck – a hydrogen-powered zero emissions vehicle designed to replace diesel and LNG short haul trucks in California. Vision says the Tyrano is the world’s first “green” heavy duty class 8 truck with zero emissions (zero CO2, zero fossil fuels, zero noise pollution and a zero carbon footprint). What’s more, the company claims the Tyrano is twice as powerful as a conventional diesel-powered vehicle. Read More
Volvo Trucks tackling the problem of roadside pirates
By Jeff Salton
17:54 October 1, 2009 PDT
Being a long-haul truck driver is by no means the safest job in the world, but it could be a lot more dangerous than most of us think. Figures released by the commercial drivers’ International Road Transport Union, the IRU, show that 17 percent of Europe’s long-haul truck drivers are victims of robbery during work-hours at some time over a five-year period. And thefts from long-haul trucks total in the region of EUR€8.2 billion (US$12 billion approx.) – every year. New initiatives by Volvo Trucks and the EU are being undertaken to improve driver safety and prevent these thefts. One particular anti-theft device in development is a lockable fifth wheel that can be remotely controlled, thus preventing the trailer from being separated from the truck and disappearing. Read More
Eaton announces major development of plug-in hybrid commercial vehicles
By Jeff Salton
19:52 August 18, 2009 PDT
Eaton Corporation’s truck and electrical businesses will play a major role in producing 378 plug-in hybrid electric power vehicles, the largest commercial hybrid deployment to date in the U.S., thanks to a USD$45.4 million government grant. Eaton will also provide the electrical charging infrastructure for these vehicles. Read More
Virtual co-drivers will make trucks of the future safer
By Jeff Salton
06:55 August 4, 2009 PDT
Trucks of the future could be equipped with an on-board digital co-driver to help the human behind the wheel, or even take over if the driver loses control. The HAVEit project (short for Highly Automated Vehicles for Intelligent Transport) has 28 million euros (USD$40 million) at its disposal and is aiming to develop an intelligent driver assist system that responds to both traffic conditions and drivers' needs. Read More
Predictive Cruise Control unveiled for trucks
By Mike Hanlon
19:41 March 26, 2009 PDT
March 27, 2009 Daimler Trucks North America showcased an innovative "Predictive Cruise Control (PCC)" system in the "Freightliner New Innovation Truck" study at the Mid-America Trucking Show last week. The PCC assistance system uses map and satellite-based route previews and saves substantial amounts of fuel. Unlike a conventional cruise control system that tries to maintain a preset speed, regardless of how the terrain changes, the PCC system looks for its route a mile in advance and adjusts engine output to the uphill and downhill gradients ahead. Based on this information, the on-board computer calculates the optimum speed to use the momentum of the truck to maximize fuel economy. Read More
Mercedes Benz releases new truck navigation system
By David Greig
03:41 March 25, 2009 PDT
Mercedes Benz has just released its new truck navigation system available on the Atego, Axor and Actros models. The system has maps available for 26 European countries, with a choice of 15 European languages for voice instructions. It takes into account the specific requirements of commercial vehicles (e.g. by providing information on weight restrictions, limited overhead and width clearances, special routes into town centers, etc.) and provides guidance to drivers in unfamiliar surroundings via arrow navigation on the instrument cluster and via arrow and/or map navigation on the 6.5" monitor. The dynamic route guidance courtesy of TMC (the Traffic Message Channel) enables traffic jams and problems to be bypassed, thereby potentially saving time. Read More
Garmin introduces long-haul navigation and delivery truck GPS system
By David Greig
22:13 March 18, 2009 PDT
Truckers have special requirements for on-road navigation that most of us wouldn't even consider and GPS units that cater for these needs make a good deal of sense. Garmin has now entered this niche with the announcement of the nüvi® 465T, the company's first portable navigation device designed exclusively for over the road long-haul navigation and delivery trucks. Read More
Freedom Glen
- November 25, 2009 @ 02:47 UTC
