ILMA Compoundings September 2018 - 28

Croghan said the economics on rail are much better than
on trucking, particularly as trucking issues worsen. "If you
want to ship a lube product from Texas to California, the
cost on rail is 30 to 35 cents per gallon. On truck today,
that is over $1.50 per gallon, and that has gone up in the
last six months," he said. However, a lot of companies don't
have the option to receive shipments via rail, Croghan said,
and as Osiecki explains, only a small percentage of freight is
competitive between rail and truck.
Delco said the railroads have been disciplined when it
comes to adding capacity. "As soon as they start adding more
trains, it ends up slowing the rail network," he said. "Really,
the best way to add capacity is faster train speeds and less
dwell time."
Tripp said autonomous trucking technology or truck
platooning could ease the driver situation, but that is still in
the development stages.
There are varying levels of automation that can be applied
to a Class 8 tractor, ranging from Level 0, which features no
automation, to Level 5, in which all driving tasks would be fully
automated. Newer companies, including Waymo and Otto,
as well as some major Class 8 manufacturers, such as Daimler,
Paccar and Volvo, are pursuing autonomous technology, such
as collision mitigation systems and adaptive cruise control,
which could be used to create self-driving vehicles.
The American Transportation Research Institute has identified significant safety and productivity benefits that may
result from autonomous technology adoption. However,
many people within the trucking industry believe drivers
will remain behind the wheel. Costello compared automated
trucks to airplanes, in which pilots remain engaged in
the takeoff and landing but let computers handle routine
portions of the flight.
Within autonomous technology capability, truck platooning could carry the most initial potential. The Federal
Highway Administration has said platooning deployed
across the country is expected to improve national freight
movement and the national economy.
Platooning uses connected vehicle technology, in which
the lead vehicle can communicate and coordinate with
other trucks so they can travel in close proximity, which
would result in fuel savings and safety benefits. In the early
stages of platooning, drivers would remain in the vehicle
to monitor the driving situation and assume control of the
vehicle if needed.

The Electric Impact

As companies look to upgrade equipment, many are
discussing the role of electric truck technology, which is
also continuing to advance. Several manufacturers are
working on the technology for a number of different

SEPTEMBER 2018

| COMPOUNDINGS | ILMA.ORG

Within autonomous technology capability, truck
platooning could carry the most initial potential.
trucking applications. So far, the most growth has been in
the medium-duty market for electric vehicles, and the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) reported that sales of battery
electric, plug-in electric hybrid and fuel cell light-duty
vehicles will continue to increase, reaching about 9 percent
of the total projected sales for light-duty vehicles in 2025, or
1.5 million vehicles.
A recent report from the North American Council for
Freight Efficiency (NACFE) said early adopters of electric
vehicle technology will be in the Class 3 through Class 6
segments. The report also said that longer ranges and heavier
weights in Classes 7 and 8 are possible in specific operations
but will not be viable in all roles.
Mike Roeth, executive director of NACFE, said that the
largest near-term fuel savings are with Class 7 or 8 dedicated
regional haul tractors with a 200- to 300-mile range.
Giordano Sordoni, cofounder and chief operating officer
of Thor Trucks, said the most applicable use for commercial
electric vehicles are those that travel a short- to mid-range
and return to a central hub at the end of a shift, such as
vocational trucks, public transportation vehicles and dayhaul delivery trucks.
Daimler Trucks North America and Navistar have
reported that urban and local distribution and applications
with dedicated, predictable routes will serve as the first
use-case for electric heavy trucks, and Mack Trucks has said
that today's electric vehicles will work best in closed-loop
applications.
Paccar is testing three electric trucks, including a Class
8 electric truck that the manufacturer said is well-suited
for drayage applications. Volvo Trucks, which is based in
Gothenburg, Sweden, has released two all-electric trucks
- the Volvo FL Electric and the Volvo FE Electric - and
Navistar has said it would offer a Class 6 or 7 electric truck
in late 2019 or early 2020.
Mack plans to have a fully electric Mack LR refuse model
operating in North America in 2019, and earlier this year
Daimler introduced the eActros. Daimler said 10 of the vehicles
will be given to customers to test for 12 months so the manufacturer can learn about range, routes and use patterns.
Long is a freelance writer and journalist. She can be reached at
925-750-7163 or mindy@mindylong.com.

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ILMA Compoundings September 2018

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