The trucking industry is one of razor-thin margins where fleets welcome affordable and measurable efficiency improvements. Visits to a service center are inevitable, so decreasing the frequency of those visits is a never-ending initiative for fleet managers and owners.
Due to the current shortage, skilled technicians are in higher demand than ever. The trucking industry is taking measures to help technicians focus their skills on repairs that help fleets avoid unscheduled downtime, rather than burdening them with simple tasks.
Remote diagnostic applications empower fleet managers to perform tasks that historically required a trip to the shop. These tasks include forcing a DPF regen, monitoring critical fluid levels, or making an adjustment to parameters like maximum road and cruise speeds. The industry continuously identifies tasks that can be performed remotely, preventing an unnecessary visit to the shop. One such function growing in popularity is over-the-air (OTA) programming.
OTA programming allows fleets to remotely update the software version on their trucks’ electronic control units (ECUs). This is a task that, in the past, required a shop visit which could leave drivers waiting for a day or more before a bay would become available. That’s a long wait for a task as straightforward as connecting the truck to a software application and choosing to perform an update.
Benefits of updating
Noregon’s work with some of the largest fleets and service centers allows us to analyze vehicle data and identify trends. Examining vehicle data for a specific make and model of engine, we determined that, on average, those engines were 400 days behind on software updates. This manufacturer releases an update every one to two months, meaning the average truck was, at a minimum, about six updates behind.
In some instances, the development and release of an update or patch can cost an OE upwards of $1 million. Component manufacturers would not spend this amount of money if it were not justified, signifying the importance of applying updates to major components when possible. For example, examining the scope of updates from one manufacturer, patches addressed the following:
- Reduce occurrences of ABS light.
- Reduce broken fan belt tensioners due to rapid clutch engagement.
- Correct cruise control oscillation.
- Correct intermittent no-start due to over-closed VGT.
Each of these issues impacts a vital aspect of a truck’s ability to safely and functionally travel from point A to point B. Without the updates, drivers must deal with oscillating cruise control problems or the truck not starting. False occurrences of an ABS light can cause unnecessary downtime due to a shop visit. Broken fan belt tensioners are a costly repair issue that also lead to unplanned downtime.
Consideration – OTA or in the shop?
Now that we’ve discussed the importance of keeping component software up to date, what should a fleet consider when comparing in-shop versus OTA updates?
When implementing OTA programming, fleets should notice a significant improvement in uptime. If the vehicle is already in the shop for routine maintenance and the technician advises downloading an update – and doing so won’t accrue additional time in the bay – by all means, go ahead and have the update installed. However, the odds of the truck already being in the shop shortly after a patch is made available is slim, so the convenience and reduction of downtime make OTA programming a logical option.
Noregon has customers who claim about a half-day of uptime saved per OTA update as opposed to the same update in-shop. OTA updates, however, do not come without risks and considerations such as security and cost.
Security
A secure, encrypted end-to-end communication protocol used with technologies such as VPNs is essential to OTA programming being a vital solution. Two-factor authentication that allows fleet personnel to approve any update sent to the truck is another consideration to ensure messages sent to the vehicle are authorized.
Consider the following example of a man-in-the-middle attack to highlight the dangers of unauthorized communication with a fleet vehicle. Imagine a truck receives an illegitimate software update that drops the maximum allowed road and cruise speed to five miles per hour. This type of attack could serve as a form of ransomware where the hacker contacts the fleet and requires financial compensation to remove the limitation, or else the truck can only creep along the highway.
Consider another example – what if a driver is unaware of adaptive cruise control becoming disabled by a malicious attacker? This could lead to a collision causing damage to the truck and injury to the driver and to others on the road. Due to the consequences, it is imperative to keep security top-of-mind.
Cost
One of the most significant fleet costs associated with OTA programming is the bandwidth required to send and download an update. Check if the system has a calibration age parameter; this prevents unnecessary calibrations that waste bandwidth and only apply the update if it exceeds a certain number of days.
Some remote diagnostic applications display detailed information about onboard components, down to the serial number and the current software version. Best practices suggest always checking the existing software versioning as not to waste bandwidth on an ECU that is already up-to-date.
The future of OTA programming in the industry
OTA updates hold an essential spot in the future of trucking; the benefits are far too great to expect otherwise. Fleets will benefit from the improvements in uptime, while technicians use their skills to make repairs on trucks that require a visit to the service center.
Fleets must be mindful of the associated costs and risks to experience an improvement in profits from OTA programming. Cybersecurity in all trucking systems is a significant concern moving forward, as is the use of bandwidth on performing tasks such as over-the-air updates.
Exciting times await as the internet of things (IoT) spreads rapidly through the trucking industry. We’ll never eliminate the need for skilled technicians in service centers. However, we can significantly reduce downtime for vehicles by instead correcting issues with the click of a button over the air.
