The Daily Dash: Driver safety, self-driving trucks, and bidding on dedicated freight

Brian Straight

4 years ago

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what is happening today in the freight ecosystem. In this edition, we find out that how a driver is trained matters more than his or her age, and we learn more about Navistar’s partnership with TuSimple and why they believe a production-ready self-driving truck will be on the nation’s highways by 2024. Plus, small fleets and owner-operators now have a way to bid on dedicated freight, and the rails are concerned about heavier and longer trucks becoming a reality.

Looking beyond a driver’s age

Hiring older drivers does not make for safer drivers, says a report from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. The study looked at the impact of driver age on safety and compared it to other factors, such as experience. Not surprisingly, experience plays a much larger role, regardless of a driver’s age.

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Self-driving trucks are closer than they appear

Navistar and TuSimple have promised to place self-driving trucks on the nation’s highways by 2024. The companies announced an accelerated timeline that is as much as five years shorter than any existing competitor has previously announced they would bring a production truck to market. How are they doing it?

Alan Adler has a look at the new partnership: Navistar to sell driverless semis in 2024

Linda Baker looks at what this means for startup TuSimple: Navistar partnership establishes TuSimple as preferred autonomous supplier

Loading up on dedicated freight

Access to dedicated freight has been limited to larger fleets with capacity to spare. Not anymore. Convoy has opened the door to these coveted freight volumes with a new offering that lets carriers — including single-truck operators — bid on dedicated freight lanes that provide regular revenue opportunities.

Brian Straight has the details: Truckers, small fleets can now bid for dedicated freight through Convoy

Bigger trucks, bigger problems

A study commissioned by the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks claims that heavier and longer trucks would divert at least 25% of the freight currently moved by rail onto trucks. “The results are compelling,” the study’s author stated. The group was looking to quantify the impact heavier and longer trucks would have on the rail industry.

Joanna Marsh has more details of the findings: Bigger trucks would divert intermodal and railcar traffic

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Hammer down, everyone,