Technology is probably what got you and Diane interested in trucking in the first place. It wasn't all that long ago that air ride suspension, automatic transmissions, power steering, air conditioning and all the other amenities were the exception rather than common place and expected. Trucking was more physically challenging. My left arm and left leg are still larger and more muscular than their right side counterparts. The left hemisphere of my brain is equal to the right hemisphere; flaccid and shrinking.
Moot, this is a point I tried to make a while ago, when we have the conveniences in the truck to make them drive like a car, then we get drivers who can't drive in them.
I lost my A/C last year and I said something to one of the "truck drivers" sitting next to me at the truck stop. He was beside himself with any idea of not having any A/C in a truck. I remember when I learned to drive a truck, a GMC Astro, there wasn't any A/C in that and taking a trip to Arizona that summer reminded me that my loss of A/C in my little truck wasn't as bad as that trip to Arizona.
Interesting point about the technologies you mention, all of which are about driver comfort (and perhaps safety), and are taken for granted today. The newer technologies are of a different sort. They create an information link between truck and carrier and thereby change what carriers used to rely on drivers to do.
Actually Phil, even though you don't read my post, this technology isn't new and because you are faced with the EOBR, the rest of the world isn't in tune with reality.
When I started in this business in 2005, I already knew what was being done to track trucks and the only thing has changed is the way we get the info, not the technology use to capture it. We see only a small percentage of what is out there. Many of us don't deal with anything beyond EOBRs and only then that is older technology.
I think you said that we don't have to do pre-trips, they can be done at the office - not really because people with eyes need to see things.
The next, longer-term, step would be to save more money by eliminating driver comfort items. That can be done by eliminating the drivers themselves. See:
Imagine a Future Without Trucks
Good attempt in reading the future via 1963, need to polish up on technology and what is actually being done.
This is not far-fetched. With drone aircraft technology now developed, conversations are underway to allow cargo planes to fly themselves. Good news for the carriers. Bad news for the pilots who fly FedEx and UPS planes on regular routes.
Pilots are going to be around for a long long time, no pilotless aircraft in a commercial setting for a long long time. Just imagine what would have happened with the flight that landed in the Hudson, using drone technology, it would have been disastrous. Instead the pilot made decisions in the seat with experience and his ability to judge the feel of the aircraft.
Planes fly themselves now. Cars drive themselves now. Technology eliminated the caboose on trains. Robot trucks are on the way.
Drones fly themselves, cars park themselves and many of the cabooses were replaced by FREDs or EOTD.
Robot trucks?
Maybe in the next century but before that happens, I think we will see a strengthening of the rail industry.
With all of that said, technology offers us tools to become more efficient in doing our work. It allows us to be safe and to be able to find our work. Nothing wrong with an EOBR, it is a long time coming. Nothing wrong with a truck that uses technology, it makes our job easier.
