This is a great idea, well executed, presenting the top ten tips, for people driving around trucks to be aware of. The top ten list comes from a survey conducted by Rod Hannifey, the perennial trucking advocate.
Do the Research
The reception the latest truck accident figures received last week in the media is a timely reminder of how important it is to do the research and then use that research wisely in getting behaviour or policy change.
The New Kenworth T410 and T360 on the Move
Here is a short video giving us a bit more of a look at the new Kenworth T410 and the T360 on the move, taken at the recent showcase of the new trucks at Anglesea in Victoria.
Men Who Sleep In Trucks
Here is a very interesting short documentary talking to men who sleep in trucks and diving deep into the psychology around truck driving. It is about truckies in the UK, but if you were to do the same kind of exercise here in Australia the results would be very similar.
A Bigger B-triple
The Electric Truck Myth
It is very difficult to judge how soon the electric truck myth will become a reality. When it does we can be sure it will change the trucking world completely, but it may take some time here in Australia.
This particular truck is the Lion8 launched this week in Quebec, Canada and the announcement says the first vehicle will be delivered later this year. This is a heavy duty rigid coming from a manufacturer which already has a number of electric buses on the road in Canada.
Lion8 is 100 per cent electric powered and has a range of up to 400 km. This Lion project benefitted from the Quebec Government’s support to develop this innovative technology. The new truck is a result of the Government’s 2013-2020 Climate Change Action Plan whose budget is derived from a Canadian Government Green Fund.
This is zero-emission solution and it is estimated 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in Quebec come from transportation, specifically from heavy-duty vehicles. As well as eliminating noise pollution, there is an 80 per cent energy cost reduction and a, claimed 60 per cent operational cost reduction. The company reckon the Lion8 components require very little maintenance which will, consequently, minimise its total cost of ownership.
There are already plenty of other players in the game like this Renault delivering fresh oysters to the restaurants of Paris:
The Daimler group have made some inroads with the Fuso eCanter in both Europe, Japan and the US. Here we see a non-trucking journo take to the streets with the truck:
From Volvo, there is the electric garbage truck, on trial in both Sweden and France:
The industry is trying to gauge how far we are away from the tipping point which will see electric trucks become ubiquitous. This is where Australia comes in. The bottleneck is likely to be battery development and production. A vital ingredient is the lithium in the lithium ion cells and Australia is already trying to ramp up production of lithium in the mining industry and looking to develop a lithium processing capacity in Western Australia.
RoadRanger Dinosaurs?
With the ever increasing fitment of automated and automatic truck transmission, are those of us with the hard-earned skills involved in simply changing gear becoming RoadRanger dinosaurs? For those who haven’t been initiated in the dark arts of double de-clutching, this video shows just how much is involved in the skill.
Enduring Cat Fanatics
Ever since the decision by Caterpillar to get out of the business of making engines for highway trucks there has been a group of enduring Cat fanatics who have kept the dream of driving a truck with a yellow engine alive. Here is the solution on offer for Caterpillar tragics in the USA, fitting remanufactured yellow engines into brand new ‘glider’ trucks.
Designing Driverless Trucks
This is an interesting video, all about designing driverless trucks, and specifically about the design of the Volvo Vera concept. This a typical concept design, made to look good in the media and not, necessarily a practical solution to the driverless truck problem.
Save Life with Green Reflectors
After all of these years, Rod Hannifey’s initiative to save life with green reflectors has received some backing from the powers that be. In this video the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has come on board and put its support behind Rod’s great idea.