Artificial intelligence: What is it, and how can it help trucking fleets? Penske experts share insights from their work with AI, both as a tool for customers and in their own shop and operations. This episode of HDT Leadership Insights is produced in partnership with, and sponsored by, Penske. HDT's Deborah Lockridge explores AI with Penske's Tim H…

Tolls are becoming a serious management issue for fleets across North America. But new toll verification technologies can help fleet managers bring order to chaos. Chandler Love, senior product manager, tolls, PrePass, talks about how new GPS-enabled toll verification technology works. And how it can save fleets money, time and hassles dealing with…

Explore how trucking fleets can deal with shifting emissions regulations and plan for adoption of zero-emission trucks as HDT's Deborah Lockridge talks to Lacy Robertson, Director of Sustainability Solutions & Public Policy with Rush Enterprises. Sponsored by: CAT Scale Apollo Tires In This Episode: Meet the Expert: Lacy Robertson Navigating Comple…

Helping lawmakers and regulators understand the trucking industry is vital on important topics ranging from electric trucks to independent contractor misclassification. David Heller with the Truckload Carriers Association recently spoke to HDT's Deborah Lockridge about the group's annual Call on Washington. Here are the highlights in this Short Tak…

How are truck makers using artificial intelligence to change how fleets keep their trucks on the road and generating revenue?To learn more, HDT executive editor Jack Roberts sat down with Volvo Trucks North America connectivity expert Magnus Gustafson at the recent American Trucking Associations' Management Conference and Exhibition for this episod…

Get a peek at some technology that may soon make its way into the trucks you buy as HDT's Jack Roberts shares insights from the big IAA commercial vehicle show in Europe. Sponsored by: CAT Scale and Apollo Tires On this episode of HDT Talks Trucking, HDT’s Deborah Lockridge and Jack Roberts talk about the biggest trends from around the globe showca…

Just how far will Foodliner stretch its oil drain intervals? Can Roehl Transport master artificial intelligence? Meet two of HDT's Truck Fleet Innovators on this episode of HDT Talks Trucking.Sponsored by CAT ScaleHDT’s Deborah Lockridge talks to two HDT Truck Fleet Innovators, Kyle Neumann of Foodliner and John Paape of Roehl Transport, during Hea…

Why aren't trucks as safe as airplanes? Should motor carriers be required to carry more insurance? On this episode of HDT Talks Trucking, Deborah Lockridge talks to Lane Kidd of The Trucking Alliance about an essay he wrote on trucking's duty to public safety. This episode sponsored by CAT Scale In this episode: Can you compare trucking's safety re…

When is trucking going to climb back up the back side of the latest cycle? How can trucking fleets do a better job of preparing for these ups and downs?On this episode of HDT Talks Trucking, HDT’s Deborah Lockridge talks to Brian Holland, president and CEO of Fleet Advantage, for a mid-year look at the state of the economy and the trucking industry…

The infrastructure needed to support California's hydrogen economy is not going to sprout up from the ground by itself. Calstart is supporting that growth through programs like Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicles (EnergIIZE) Hydrogen funding lane. The program is intended to support ydrogenmedium- and heavy-duty as well as offroad vehicle infrastructu…

Learn what the Next Generation in Trucking Association is doing to bring more drivers and technicians into trucking as a first career choice. One of the biggest challenges trucking fleets face is finding good drivers and diesel technicians. For various reasons, from regulations to insurance to a lack of awareness of trucking-related careers, it’s o…

Hydrogen is widely thought of as the ideal energy source for long-haul trucking. It will take trucks places batteries can only dream of today. Renewable sources of hydrogen promise carbon-free, zero-emissions energy for trucking. We seem to be on the cusp of a new era; truly clean, greentrucking. Or are we? Dr. David Cebon has very strong opinions …

Is artificial intelligence the next big leap in truck driver recruiting and retention technology? Communicating with drivers on the road has come a long way since the days of pay phones, and it looks like AI will help take it even further. This episode of HDT's Leadership Insights video podcast is produced in partnership with, and sponsored by, Ten…

Heavy-duty truck batteries are often overlooked — until a driver goes to crank up the truck and it won’t start. In an age where nearly every system on a truck is “smart,” can technology help? This episode of HDT's Leadership Insights is sponsored by, and produced in partnership with, EnerSys, manufacturer of Odyssey Batteries. HDT's Deborah Lockrid…

The National Transportation Institute's Leah Shaver challenges some conventional thinking about women in trucking, from behind the wheel to the board room, in this episode of HDT Talks Trucking. Shaver is president and CEO of the National Transportation Institute, which recently surveyed women about the challenges they encounter in the trucking ind…

The automotive cybersecurity landscape is evolving, movingbeyond mere ransomware attacks on fleets. While that is something to be guarded against, hackers can now weaponize connected vehicles in ways that sooner or later will compromise safety. Software defined vehicles and unsecure APIs and mobile services are opening new attack vectors for the ba…

With more attention being paid to Scope 3 emissions, mayneed to take a more proactive approach and a deeper dive into your company’s operations to attract and keep customers. On this episode of HDT Talks Trucking, HDT’s DeborahLockridge talks with one fleet that’s ahead of the curve in meeting shipper demands for more sustainable transportation. Sh…

We are seeing a distressing increase in the number of truckrollover crashes these days. And while they are fewer in number, the number of runaway truck crashes on mountain grades remain a problem. What's behind the increase isn't completely clear, but many believe it's a lack of driver training and understanding of vehicle dynamics. Brian Bullock, …

We are seeing a distressing increase in the number of truck rollover crashes these days. And while they are fewer in number, the number of runaway truck crashes on mountain grades remain a problem. What's behind the increase isn't completely clear, but many believe it's a lack of driver training and understanding of vehicle dynamics. Brian Bullock,…

Truck driver log falsification violations can lead to out-of-service orders, fines, bad federal safety scores, failed DOT audits, civil penalties, even nuclear verdicts. What can motor carriers do? Log falsifications were the fourth most common driver-relatedviolation discovered in roadside inspections from 2019 to 2023. And they’re the second most…

Did you know that your fleet’s driver manuals and policies could become the detonator of a nuclear verdict against your trucking company? We’ll learn more about this plaintiffs’ attorney tactic from trucking attorney Doug Marcello in this episode of HDT Talks Trucking. This episode is sponsored by Scraper Systems Snow Removal by Rite Hite If you’re…

Microgrids, sometimes called distributed energy resources, are local sources of electricity operating separately from the utility grid. They typically produce electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar, but they can also be powered by hydro, natural gas, hydrogen, or even small modular nuclear reactors. This episode of HDT Talks Truc…

One Energy is an industrial power company and installer ofon-site, behind-the-meter, wind energy systems. In early October, the company unveiled its first 30 megawatt battery-electric truck charging site. The site is fully developed, energized, and waiting for its first fleet customers in Findlay, Ohio. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsor…

Meet Sarah Cates. She's the rock-star safety director at ThomasE. Keller Trucking of Defiance, Ohio. Her bosses love her. Her drivers love her. And she's the recipient of HDT's 2023 Safety & Compliance award, sponsored by J.J. Keller & Associates. Cates has been the director of safety for only three years, but her success in totally transforming th…

What can trucking fleets do now to transform their operations and be ready to take advantage of the next freight upturn? HDT's Deborah Lockridge talked to Tom McLeod about why this is the right time for a tune-up. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by: CAT Scale — Learn more about its WeighMyTruck app. And by Scraper Systems snow remov…

Having a truck placed out of service during a roadside inspection means unhappy drivers and customers, truck downtime, expensive repairs, fines, and dings on your safety score. What if someone other than a DOT inspector had noticed the problem? This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Scraper Systems And by CAT Scale. Learn more about its…

Trucking has a parking problem. The number of trucks seeking parking exceeds the number of available spaces. Projections suggest the number of trucks requiring overnight parking will grow significantly in the coming years. The federal government has pledged close to $1 billion to develop additional truck parking. Will that be enough? Will those spa…

Bison Transport is arguably the safest large fleet in North America. Bison has taken home the Truckload Carriers Association Grand Prize fleet safety award for large carrier fleets for 13 years in a row. The company has won top honors no less than 16 times in all. In this episode, you’ll meet one of the architects of Bison’s safety master plan, Gar…

Trucking fleet owner John Vaccaro became a big believer in automatic emergency braking, dashcams, and other advanced safety systems after he nearly lost his business due to what could have been a so-called nuclear verdict. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin. Are automatic emergency braking systems ready for prime time? A…

Understanding what your drivers are experiencing and how they feel about their jobs is critical to keeping them happy. Happy drivers tend to stay put. This episode is about the importance of opening up communication channels with your drivers – and keeping them open. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin. Automated dispatch…

The softer freight market has made truck drivers more likely to seek greener pastures. What can fleets learn about recruiting and retention from job application data? This episode of HDT's Leadership Insights video podcast is produced in partnership with, and sponsored by, Tenstreet. Make driver communication more transparent, effective and easy at…

Today, clean diesels make up 57% of the commercial vehicle population. That’s nearly double where we were a decade ago. And it’s a 10% jump over this time last year. So what's going on?This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin. The march toward a low-carbon, low emission future has been slow and technically challenging. But we …

At a time when fleet expansion is an iffy proposition, adding additional carrying capacity to your existing fleet can lower equipment costs, increase profits, and even help reduce your carbon footprint. This episode of HDT's Leadership Insights video podcast is sponsored by, and produced in partnership with Kinedyne. There are only so many square f…

Where is the autonomous/self-driving truck industry today? How much longer will we have to wait for Level 4 to mature? What's the holdup? This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin. Autonomous or self-driving trucks have been with us for more than a decade, yet no company has yet placed a full Level-4 truck into regular revenue …

It’s easy enough to buy a battery-electric truck, but fleets are being forced to wait up to two years for their chargers. Site design, permitting, and construction take forever. Matt Horton, CEO of Voltera Power, talks to Jim Park on HDT Talks Trucking on how fleets can navigate these waters. Voltera develops charging facilities for light, medium a…

Former USA Truck CEO James Reed recently joined Kodiak Robotics as chief operating officer. What's the former fleet exec's perspective on self-driving truck technology?Reed joins HDT's Deborah Lockridge on HDT Talks Trucking to talk about the move and the state of the autonomous-truck industry. Learn more about: Why Reed joined Kodiak Robotics What…

There's a lot more to adopting electric trucks than batteries and range, as HDT's Deborah Lockridge explores in this conversation with Hendrickson's Jeff Sass on this episode of HDT's Leadership Insights, produced in partnership with, and sponsored by, Hendrickson. Jeff Sass, vice president of marketing for Hendrickson, has spent decades in the tru…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed some significant changes to its Safety Measurement System, which is how it prioritizes motor carriers for enforcement. What will those potential changes mean to trucking companies? In this episode of HDT Talks Trucking, HDT Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge joins Brandon Wiseman of Trucks…

Truck and engine makers have less than three years to pull off a minor engineering miracle to meet EPA’s 2027 ultra-low-NOx rules. The stringent new emissions regulations for diesel engines take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. That means the first of the engines designed to meet those standards will hit the street in early 2026. Hear from ACT Research Vice…

Electric and alternative-fuel vehicles aren't new to UPS, but the company recently took delivery of its first fully electric Class 8 truck, a Freightliner eCascadia. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Scraper Systems. HDT Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge talks to Anthony Marshall, VP of Maintenance and Engineering-Transportation Eq…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed some significant changes to its Safety Measurement System, which is how it prioritizes motor carriers for enforcement. What will those potential changes mean to trucking companies? This episode is sponsored by Scaper Systems. In this episode of HDT Talks Trucking, HDT Editor in Chief Debo…

Automatic electronic tolling is becoming more and more common. But a missed plate-read or other error can quickly add up to big bucks for trucking fleets both large and small. This episode of HDT's Leadership Insights video podcast is sponsored by, and produced in partnership with, PrePass. Today there are more than 50 toll authorities, and the tol…

When Hyliion’s natural gas-powered long-range ERX (electric range extender) Hypertruck hits the streets later this year, it’s expected to be marginally lighter and less expensive (after incentives and credits) than midrange battery electric trucks. Company founder and CEO, Thomas Healy says it has up to 1,000 miles of range including up to 75 zero-…

It's recently appeared that self-driving trucks are not going to be hauling freight down the road without a driver as quickly as some developers and investors had expected. But startup tech company Waabi says its AI-focused approach will allow it to commercialize the technology faster. HDT Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge talks to Waabi's Dustin K…

Nikola Corp. is not without its share of drama. Company founder and then-CEO, Trevor Milton, was convicted last fall on one count of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud related to allegedly false statements he made to investors. A little over a year later, the company seems to be on firmer footing, following the appointment of its new CEO…

Come January 2024, most refrigerated truck fleets operating in California will need to have at least 15% of the fleet converted to fully electric refrigeration units. Thermo King’s Preeti Subramanian, senior product manager for truck products, explains what that rule will mean for fleets both large and small. This episode of HDT's Leadership Insigh…

The editors of Heavy Duty Trucking, and hosts of HDT Talks Trucking, come together to talk about their top stories of 2022 in this special editorial panel episode. This episode is sponsored by Citgo. Learn more at citgolubes.com Throughout the year HDT Talks Trucking has been covering the top story each month in our Behind the News segment, those p…

Despite what you may have heard, no, we’re not running out of diesel fuel. But – low stockpiles do mean higher prices. In this episode of HDT Talks Trucking, we break down what you should know and what this means for trucking fleets. This episode is sponsored by Citgo. Learn more at citgolubes.com Heavy Duty Trucking's top story from November was t…

Smart trailers, the internet of things, cloud computing, APIs … if this all makes your head swim, this episode of HDT Leadership Insights explores how these technologies can come together to help fleet managers effectively use the reams of data available to them today. This episode of HDT's Leadership Insights video podcast is sponsored by, and pro…

Internet security analysts say the number of ransomware attacks ballooned by 105% in 2022 compared to 2021 — and 2021 saw a 61% increase over 2020. Experts expect those numbers to be even higher next year. It’s no longer a case of if, but when, your trucking company will be targeted. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Citgo. Learn m…