Trucking News

The most widespread pandemic of modern history has been active for the better part of a year. With that, there isn't much that hasn't already been said in terms of the emotional toll and drastic subsequent effects of COVID-19. From the initial shockwave to now, much of this crisis has been about acquiring the right tools to ward off an invisible threat.

From personal protective equipment, to cleaning supplies, and additional food rations, the American public might say they have never relied on grocery stores as much as they did during 2020. But what Americans may not realize is that they were actually relying on the trucking industry to keep those stores open. A resource covering the trends of trucking and transportation published by Linchpin reported that almost 70% of goods transported in America are mobilized by trucks, and if truck drivers stopped delivering their products, the majority of grocery stores would find their inventory depleted within three days.

It's safe to say that the trucking industry made a substantial impact toward supporting Americans since the pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. But how has the trucking industry itself fared during this unprecedented time in history? As longtime supporters of the trucking and transportation sector, the team at My Little Salesman has reviewed statistics and testimony from across the industry in order to draw a consensus.

The new SnowEx RDV V-plow includes many of the features found on heavy-duty plows, but is specifically designed for half-ton trucks. Constructed of high-strength, low-alloy steel, the RDV V-plow is stronger and lighter than conventional steel and configures to varying vehicle heights for optimum performance on some of the most popular truck models, including GMC Sierra 1500, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ford F-150, RAM 1500 and Toyota Tundra.

SnowEx has introduced its new HELIXX stainless steel hopper spreaders. In addition to the proven durability and corrosion-resistant benefits of stainless steel, the spreaders feature the revolutionary HELIXX material delivery system, an innovative design that helps optimize material flow. Furthermore, by adding a pre-wet and direct liquid application kit, the HELIXX becomes a triple threat – with the ability to spread, pre-wet and spray with one machine.

Palfinger has introduced new service crane boom tip lights for mechanics truck fleets, which make job sites brighter and allows for fewer blind spots and less shadows. With its wide illumination zone, Palfinger’s boom tip lights are capable of covering 2,700 sq. ft. at a 30’ radius with fewer blind spots and less shadows.

The Diversified Products brand LiftWise has introduced its Single Man Folding Basket for service cranes. It provides fall arrest and fall protection, while helping to eliminate the need for ladders or climbing on equipment. When not in use, the basket’s space-saving design folds for easier transport and storage.

Minimizer is answering the commonly asked question: “Do you have a larger toolbox?” Thier new 50-inch box is hitting the heavy-duty aftermarket just in time for the holidays. This Christmas, give the gift of ultra-durable storage space for even the largest of tools.

The Volvo Group and NVIDIA have entered into a new partnership to jointly develop the decision making system of autonomous commercial vehicles and machines. Volvo will be incorporating NVIDIA’s end-to-end artificial intelligence platform in order to further their ability to safely handle autonomous driving on public surface streets and highways. The new platform will enable better training, simulations, and in-vehicle computing, and in order to ultimately provide the company with enhanced safety and efficiency.

Hiab, part of Cargotec, debuted a new crane specifically designed for use with underground refuse containers at the ReinigingsDemoDagen (RDD) trade show in Utrecht, the Netherlands earlier this June. The HIAB S-HiPro 230W has been engineered for operator ease of use in order to safely and efficiently perform job duties in chaotic urban environments. With this crane, even new operators can learn how to quickly get the job done in increasingly crowded city centers without incurring damages or injuries.

The global self-driving truck company, TuSimple, announced that they have awarded their two-week pilot program to the United States Postal Service. During this time, USPS will haul their trailers on five round trips over 1,000 miles between their Phoenix, Arizona and Dallas, Texas distribution centers. To ensure public safety, an engineer and driver will be on board each truck for the entirety of the pilot program in order to monitor vehicle performance.

Allison Transmission will provide their newly developed e-axle solution to Peterbilt for evaluation on their Class 8 truck. The global leader in commercial-duty propulsion solutions developed the highly efficient and powerful axles for electric vehicles. This comes amidst the global pursuit of electrification in the commercial vehicle industry.

Peterbilt Motors Company displayed their electric vehicle lineup at the ACT Expo in Long Beach, California at booth #1934. Featuring a Model 220EV, a Model 520EV and a Model 579EV, the lineup showcased an impressive array of new features.

Earlier this month, Hiab, part of Cargotec, launched Hiab BodyWorks for heavy cranes and Hiab T-Body for Biab T-series light range cranes. Both of these new modular installation systems for truck bodies are constructed weld-free with parts that are easy to remove and replace. Additionally, these modules are pre-manufactured to reduce body installation times and costs, getting operators on their way faster.

Minimizer, a company serving semi-truck operators, has introduced the brand new steerable axle fender bracket kit. For use with the Watson Chalin SL20K-2065 axle, this bracket kit is designed for MIN2220 fenders.

Cummins unveiled the next generation of 6.7L turbo diesel engine. This higher horsepower engine boasts a first-in-class, record setting, 1,000 pound-feet of torque. Made for 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty RAM pickup trucks, customers are sure to impressed with this engine’s high levels of performance and innovation.

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is pushing the bounds of autonomy with their first SAE level 2 automated truck in series production. Featuring the latest enhancements to their Freightliner Cascadia, the level 2 of automation means that the truck can steer itself and control acceleration and deceleration. This ability to take both lateral and longitudinal control, as well as the many improvements made to the efficiency of the vehicle, made this industry-leading performer a perfect addition to the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past January.

Kenworth Truck Company and Toyota Motor North America have recently teamed up in order to develop ten new zero-emission Kenworth T680 trucks, all to be powered by Toyota hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrains. This collaboration was made possible by the $41million grant preliminarily awarded to the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The large sum of grant money comes from an even larger $82 million program that hopes to put fuel cell electric tractors, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, and zero emissions cargo handling equipment into operation in Los Angeles' basin and ports by 2020.

Dump trucks are larger and tip over more easily than ever before. With the increased frequency of tipping hazards comes the need for a proper dump truck tip-over prevention system. The WINK anti-tip system for dump trucks and dump trailers provides four extra layers of load dump protection to keep dump trailers from turning over.

XL, announced that they have achieved their 14th California Air Resources Board (CARB) executive order, allowing them to begin selling hybrid electric Ford F-250 pickup trucks in California. This is the highest number of CARB executive orders for commercial electrification in the entire automotive industry. XL is proving to to be a valuable asset for providing economic and environmental advantage for fleets across North America with their hybrid-equipped Ford F-250, which improves fuel economy by an average of 25%, while reducing CO2 emissions by 20%.

Toyota has recently unveiled the second iteration of their hydrogen fuel cell electric Class 8 truck. Project Portal 2.0, an expansion of Toyota’s first test vehicle, is a giant leap towards a future of zero-emissions trucking.The announcement was made for media and industry leaders in Northern Michigan at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Management briefing seminars.

As of this July, Kenworth will now be offering predictive cruise control as standard for their T680 on-highway flagship truck model. This addition will serve to boost fuel economy and ultimately make the life of the driver easier. The predictive cruise control functionality is also available as an option for the Kenworth T880.