Smart Trucks Have Already Arrived

The trucks going down the road a decade from now will likely not look drastically different than they do today. And, despite all the hype over autonomous trucks, they probably will still have drivers. It's what's going on behind the dashboard and over the air that is truly exciting as we enter a new generation of smart and connected trucks. Class 8 trucks being introduced today are preloaded with an impressive -- and expandable -- suite of electronics and wireless communication capabilities. Over the next decade, experts say, those capabilities will exponentially expand the efficiency, safety, productivity, and visibility of commercial trucks hauling freight -- in ways that could fundamentally transform trucking and logistics in the 21st century. The three technologies driving these changes are vehicle connectivity, artificial intelligence, and autonomous operating systems. Many of the systems that will enable these changes are already on trucks today.