OTA Dispatch Issue 3, 2021

32 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch right now, for multiple types of tech. While the general public (and certainly the environmental lobby) would love to paint trucking as antiquated and unwilling to embrace change, intent to remain a fossilized slave to fossil fuels, the truth is much more dynamic. The trucking industry has consistently adopted new proven technology. The trucks we use and the training and tools involved are proof. We can talk about how trucking has increased mileage and decreased emissions over the past 20 years—while still using diesel. Or we can point to the many careers involved in keeping the trucking industry, and thus the economy, moving. Essential jobs with decent wages that account for 1 in 17 jobs in Oregon and increasingly require more than a passing knowledge of technology. When it comes to the media and the public, however, those things just aren’t as “sexy” as autonomous trucks or the promise of zero-emission vehicles. Sadly, wishing can’t make it so. Still, proponents are intent on pursuing widespread compliance to somewhat “pie-in-the- sky” technology that just isn’t ready for primetime. They’re already making plans to mandate and implement, much to the trucking industry’s detriment. Tossing aside the reality that electric trucks can’t haul as much, can’t travel as far and are cost-prohibitive for all but the largest of carriers, it’s that line between “need” vs. “want.” Environmentalists will argue that we “need” electric vehicles to rule the roads in the next few years. Others point to autonomous trucks as the solution to the driver shortage, while also dismissing automation as a way to replace unskilled workers doing repetitive tasks. If some have their way (including Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and the Department of Environmental Quality), these are OMNITRACS—SMARTDRIVE The SmartDrive® video-based safety program and transportation intelligence platform combine video safety, advanced analytics, telematics, and compliance applications from a single box. www.smartdrive.net NETRADYNE Advanced vision-based driver recognition fleet safety solution built to reward positive driving behavior and coach areas in need of improvement. Metrics to analyze and understand how to improve organizational performance. www.netradyne.com Technology & Trucking, cont.