The Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), through its Future Truck Committee, challenges the trucking industry to produce truck designs that are increasingly efficient and cost-effective. It offers technical insights on the design and development of commercial vehicles 10 to 15 years into the future and beyond.
TMC is North America’s premier technical society for truck equipment technology and maintenance professionals.
TMC’s S.5 Fleet Maintenance Management Study Group envisions the following innovations as playing a transformative role in the next generation of future trucks:
- Vehicle-to-Shop Connectivity – As vehicles continue to get “smarter,” the study group foresees further evolution of onboard maintenance and repair diagnostics systems that monitor vehicle “health” and diagnose any issues quickly and accurately.
“The ability to sort mechanical condition data in real time affords opportunities to provide predictive analysis the industry has never seen before,” it stated in a recent report. “Managing large amounts of data creates the opportunity to predict component failure, provide real-time transactional repair cost intervention, provide best-in-class maintenance policies and procedures and identify and provide economic equipment specifications and procurement.”
- Big Data to Support Predictive Analysis – As fleets become more and more complex, they need to manage the voluminous amount of data they collect to support predictive analysis, downtime management, driver safety, productivity and total cost of ownership, the study group says.
“New technology means better communication, including connected equipment that provides mechanical self-diagnosis, increased driver behavior data and driver support systems, among other things,” the study group’s report said. The ability to access and manage this Big Data “will fulfill future fleet needs in manufacturing, pricing, purchasing and maintenance. This leads to the best alternatives with regard to total cost of ownership.”
- Condition-Based Maintenance – Onboard live streaming telematics is becoming commonplace, notes the group. Until the trucking industry starts leaning heavily toward powertrain electronics and maintenance-free systems, extending maintenance intervals and concentrating on condition-based maintenance practices – which help to improve safety, increase uptime and reduce cost – are future areas of opportunity.
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