The year is 2039. Zero-emission, electric heavy-duty trucks roll past you on the highway. Charging ports are now commonplace at terminals and truck stops. Diesel powered vehicles are becoming a thing of the past. You sit and wonder: how did we get here?

The answer is complex and involves the convergence of several key factors, including a society-wide push to improve environmental sustainability, major advances in electric-vehicle technology, fleet participation in vehicle testing and development, broad investments in charging infrastructure and a holistic approach to the entire electric ecosystem that captured imaginations at the right time.

Here, in 2021, Daimler Trucks North America's head of eMobility speaks to RoadSigns. Tune in.

For more information visit: https://roadsigns.ttnews.com/episodes/electric-trucks-are-here-but-how-quickly-will-they-take-off/

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Are you an equipment or fleet maintenance expert interested in electric trucks? We need your help! Transport Topics' Equipment & Maintenance Update is going through some changes and we want to invite input from listeners like you. And, while the knowledge and expertise will stay the same, we want to pull it out from the pages of the weekly edition and make it a standalone resource for fleet maintenance experts. So, we're wondering, how can we build the best resource for you? To share your insight, complete the survey at ttn.ws/equipment01

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Have you been imagining a driverless future where the machines do all the work and humans watch? You might be in for a surprise. Even at Level 4 autonomy, self-driving trucks will have technical limitations. They will be designed for specific applications that are best suited to automation. They’ll also require industry buy-in and public acceptance. In this episode, we ask how technology developers are clearing those hurdles to make autonomous trucking a reality.

And how might the trucking industry improve safety and efficiency by combining automation and human labor in the future? To find out, we bring in Boris Sofman, head of engineering for the autonomous trucking program at Waymo. Tune in and learn more about the road ahead for self-driving trucks.

For more information visit: https://roadsigns.ttnews.com/what-will-it-take-to-make-autonomous-trucking-a-reality/

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Finding a job in the trucking industry: You have the talent ambition and drive, but how can you get in the right room? In front of the right people? People of color are asking themselves these questions more often than not. Currently, only 14.3% of the truck driver population is made up of African Americans, followed by 13% Hispanic, and 7% Asian. In this episode, host Michael Freeze wonders what industry leaders are doing to increase those percentages in driving roles, leadership positions, and entrepreneurial opportunities. Turns out, it has a lot to do with being in the right room at the right time, but who is opening those doors? Find out, as we talk to two trucking industry experts who have implemented their own practices that are contributing to a more diverse work community.

For more information visit: https://roadsigns.ttnews.com/what-can-the-trucking-industry-do-to-include-more-diversity/

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When you think about COVID-19 vaccine strategy, vials and needles come to mind rather than supply chain portals and cargo visibility tools. That isn't the case for DHL's Larry St. Onge and Jim Monkmeyer. Since before the pandemic, they set up strategies and implemented technology in order to respond to disruptions like COVID-19. Now, they know exactly how to get the vaccine from point A to point B – and, better, how to do it at a global scale. Tune in and find out how they made a nearly impossible task, possible.

For more information visit: https://roadsigns.ttnews.com/episodes/how-has-the-industrys-execution-of-vaccine-distribution-fared-thus-far/

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A safe driver is a productive driver, and a productive driver leads to better business. In order to keep business productive, fleets invest in tech-based safety tools that inform and forewarn potential risk. But, have you ever thought that it’s actually up to the drivers to heed those calls? Host, Michael Freeze has. And so, too, have many of the nation's truck fleet owners. How do you condition and prepare drivers to respond to tech-influenced safety alerts? Find out as the RoadSigns Team speaks with Tom DiSalvi, VP of Safety at Schneider National and Charlie Mohn, Director of Product Innovation, Drivewyze. Tune in.

For more information visit: https://roadsigns.ttnews.com/episodes/how-is-technology-improving-driver-safety/

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A long line of mergers and acquisitions have dramatically reshaped the trucking technology sector over the past decade. But what does this consolidation trend mean for the trucking and logistics companies that rely on these technologies? In this episode, Seth Clevenger speaks with James Langley, senior vice president at Trimble Transportation, on the modernization of tech stacks and how freight technology companies are coming together to reach a common end goal: making fleet operations more efficient. Tune in.

For more information visit: https://roadsigns.ttnews.com/episodes/how-is-consolidation-reshaping-truckings-technology-market/

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From nuclear verdicts to the driver shortage, modern trucking companies face serious challenges. But what if you could prevent accidents and driver turnover before they happen? In this episode, host Seth Clevenger speaks with two technology CEOs to discuss how machine learning can enable better business decisions and a more proactive stance on safety. Tune in and find out how you can mitigate risk before it's too late.

For more information visit: https://roadsigns.ttnews.com/episodes/will-machine-learning-power-the-future-of-trucking-software/

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Sustainable trucking is here. A growing number of shippers, focused on reducing carbon emissions in their supply chains, are looking for more efficient freight transportation services. Federal and state clean air regulations only underscore that demand. Gone, though, are the days when going green simply meant added costs for truckers. In fact, in 2021, fleets may find more boon than burden. One key step is learning to harness and manage the data to reduce fuel consumption. In this episode, we'll talk to two major players in the transportation technology sector that are helping fleets move closer to total supply chain sustainability. Tune in.

For more information visit: https://roadsigns.ttnews.com/episodes/how-can-fleets-harness-data-to-save-fuel-and-cut-emissions/

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Adopt new tech, and you'll run a more efficient operation, but what happens when your trucking tech stack becomes unruly? With copious amounts of data sitting in different silos and redundant in-cab hardware, fleets are left scrambling. In this episode, we ask, how can we cut down on these redundancies? And what can be done to streamline fleet management practices? To get answers, we talk with Ray Greer, CEO of Omnitracs, which acquired SmartDrive last year in an effort to converge tech and improve user experience. Tune in to find out where trucking technology is heading in 2021.

For more information visit: https://roadsigns.ttnews.com/episodes/will-technology-convergence-streamline-fleet-management/

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In 2020, COVID strained business stability, yet trucking persevered. What were the greatest pain points? What were the biggest lessons? In this episode, we discuss the answers to these questions and cover everything from gas tax to remote work. With the help of our special guests, Seth Clevenger, Managing Editor, Features of Transport Topics and Eleanor Lamb, Transport Topics reporter, we’ll not only start to put the year of COVID in perspective for truckers, we’ll also begin to map a plan for 2021.

For more information visit: https://roadsigns.ttnews.com/episodes/roadsigns-roundabout-year-in-review-part-two

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