OTA Dispatch Issue 3, 2021

Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch WHEN IT COMES to making investments in our operations, a lot has changed since my company— and our industry—started. “Upgrading” meant getting better quality tires or a new fax machine. Now, some new piece of equipment or technology appears for our consideration pretty much every week. There’s an app for everything. Our trucks, our shops, our offices—even what we carry on our person—can always be improved, enhanced, streamlined, or (fill in the blank here). With promises to save you money, improve safety, make compliance easier and just generally make life better—how can we know where and when to invest in the latest and greatest? It’s easy to be dazzled by snazzy marketing videos and slick print ads. Customer testimonials can sway our decisions. Technology is great—if it works for you. If we put every piece of new tech on our trucks, we wouldn’t have much room to haul anything else. Imagine training drivers and technicians every time we added it. What it comes down to for me is knowing your people, your equipment, your goals— and your budget, of course. There are also scenarios in which we have little to no say in the new technology that we put onto or into our trucks. (Well, we do if we actively engage in the decision-making process and ensure that OTA has the information needed to convey our wants and needs to those developing these rules and regulations, but I digress.) One fairly recent example—electronic logging devices were mandated by the government, paid for by us, and used and maintained by our employees. Truck manufacturers are also subject to government input on technology. Will we soon see speed limiters on vehicles rolling off the assembly line? No one has ever said that the trucking industry is easy—and it isn’t. Truck drivers are the best trained, safest men and women on the road, absorbing regulatory changes and becoming familiar with new tech. Our technicians are constantly learning about new pieces of equipment, better tools, and efficient fixes to improve uptime. Cameras instead of mirrors? A truck that can drive itself (at least on open highways) or stop in anticipation of an obstacle in the road? Vehicles that are plugged into an extension cord instead of 2 Andy Owens OTA Chair Technology is great—if it works for you. making a stop at the fuel pump? These are just a few of things that “forward thinkers” are placing in our path. A lot of these same people like to call this “smart technology.” Yet, I have to ask, are we really becoming smarter, or just more dependent on the very technology that’s being promoted? Can a truck cab filled only with a computer that gets input from cameras and listens to algorithms replace the instincts and humanity of a real truck driver? We’ve sadly seen what happens when distracted (human) drivers enter a work zone and pay no attention to signs and flaggers. How does that situation compute to the autonomous trucks already running around with no human on board? Technology to improve or enhance can be readily accepted and adopted, but something that indelibly changes how we operate needs closer inspection. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. I’m not adverse to technology—I especially look to it as a way to improve safety. Those of us who have been in the business for a long time have noticed all the technological advances we can choose from when spec’ing a truck. It’s a veritable laundry list that, for me, includes: ` Detroit Assurance 5.0 Collision mitigation ` Adaptive cruise Upgrade in Progress…