april2022 - 30

EVENT COVERAGE TMC 2022
" Our industry is expected to transform in
numerous ways of our own-greater safety,
reduced congestion, and with both regulatory
and consumer pressure to drive toward decarbonization, "
O'Leary added. " Any one of these three
goals require technological innovations that by
themselves would have historically taken decades
to accomplish. Instead, we're looking at doing all
three at once and against an aggressive timeline. "
But whatever the challenge, O'Leary, who previously
headed Mercedes-Benz Trucks in Germany,
stressed the truck makers cannot churn out
" science projects on the road " and that all technological
innovations need to have a practical benefit.
» John O'Leary, DTNA CEO, delivers the keynote during TMC's 2022 Annual Meeting.
Photo: John Hitch | Fleet Maintenance
The world is changing
fast, and trucking
industry must, too,
says DTNA CEO
In a keynote at the Technology & Maintenance Council
2022 Annual Meeting, DTNA CEO John O'Leary
talked drastic changes to the economy, emissions,
and safety and how the industry must respond.
By John Hitch
D
uring American Trucking Associations' Technology
& Maintenance Council 2022 Annual Meeting
breakfast keynote, Daimler Truck North America
(DTNA) CEO John O'Leary pondered the global
shifts in the environment and economy, and how
changing dynamics will affect the transportation
industry. He argued that drivers and those who
support them must contend with both an aggressive
push to increase road safety and decrease
vehicle-related emissions bringing large-scale
technological changes to the industry.
" It begs the question of how we continue to do
this in the long term, " he said. That's not a question
that can be fully answered in a 30-minute
keynote, but O'Leary did provide some examples
30 Fleet Maintenance | April 2022
of how the world in which trucks operate has
rapidly changed.
This starts with global commerce and consumer
buying habits and a severe shift to ecommerce.
Many who once made regular trips to the grocery
store now shop on their phone and schedule deliveries
right to their front door.
" That will last long beyond the recent crisis, "
O'Leary predicted. " It's evident in figures supplied
by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics: The
value of freight shipments by truck will increase
nearly twofold from 2018 to 2045. Additionally,
according to ecommerce research, final-mile delivery
is expected to grow by an exceptional 15% in
just the next four years. "
Data surge
The way to do this is through generating and
analyzing good data, O'Leary argued, which he
said DTNA has done for a decade with the Detroit
Connect Virtual Technician remote diagnostics
system. Data coming off the truck " help fleets and
drivers make informed repair decisions within
minutes of a fault event, " O'Leary said.
With the 3G sunsetting, soon that could go from
minutes to seconds. O'Leary said 4G " doesn't just
double or triple connection speeds [over 3G], it
exponentially increases the connection by 14 to
15 times, " and when 5G takes over, that speed will
improve up to 100 times over that of 4G.
" The rapidly increasing growth of this technology
means that smart trucks will continue
to roll out until the entirety of the nation's fleet
is connected, " O'Leary said. " It also means that
service operations will be better informed about
what truck is coming in for service, why, and what
parts are needed when that truck arrives. "
Sensor technology, specifically advanced driver
assistance systems (ADAS), has also helped
address the safety issue.
O'Leary cited data from Bosch, which manufactures
a litany of automotive parts and technologies,
that ADAS such as lane-keeping assist and
automatic emergency braking can reduce injuries
from large-truck crashes by up to 23% and lower
fatalities by up to 19%.
" I'm convinced improved capabilities for the
technology will continue to show an even stronger
benefit, " O'Leary said. He explained that as
vehicles add more ADAS, they will be able to sense
if a driver has had a medical emergency due to not
receiving any inputs, such as steering, and can
intervene and slow the truck to a stop. " This isn't
science fiction, " O'Leary said. " This is technology
that's available now for new trucks. "
Move to zero emissions
In regard to global concerns over climate change
and trucks' impact on emissions, O'Leary pointed
out the Class 8 market-leading Freightliner
Cascadia improved fuel efficiency by 35% since
being launched in 2007.
" We've been able to improve it in large part
because of the aerodynamic efficiencies we've
applied and the improvements to our Detroit
engines, " O'Leary explained.
Read the full story online at:
FleetMaintenance.com/21259368
http://www.FleetMaintenance.com/21259368
april2022

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