Jack RobertsTechnologyWhat it’s like to operate a self-driving big rig: First ride in Freightliner’s autonomous Inspiration (PHOTOS)I just finished a drive into the future. And it was pretty uneventful. I mean that in the most positive sense possible. Last week, Freightliner unveiled both an $80 million SuperTruck it previewed at the Mid-America Trucking Show and the never-before-seen Inspiration, the first road-legal autonomous rig. And I was able to take a short circuit behind the […]May 11, 2015TechnologyFreightliner unveils first self-driving truck that will roam U.S. highways legally (PHOTOS)Freightliner did it. If you’re one of the many who scoffed at the idea of a commercially-viable self-driving truck, or at best figured such technology was years—if not decades—away, you need to reset your expectations. At a press event today at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway outside Las Vegas, NV, Freightliner, in conjunction with the […]May 5, 2015Construction EquipmentFIRST DRIVE: A bit of wheel time with Mack’s mDrive HD, the AMT built for constructionMack announced at the World of Concrete Show in February that it was launching a new, “ruggedized” version of its mDrive automated manual transmission (AMT). Thursday, at the company’s ancestral home in Allentown, Pennsylvania, journalists were given the opportunity to drive the new mDrive HD on various durability courses at the Mack Customer Center—a combined museum […]May 1, 2015Construction EquipmentCummins gives sneak peek at 2017 ISX15, announces telematics updatesCummins offered a sneak-peek at its 2017 greenhouse gas engine technology at the inaugural press conference at the 2015 Mid-America Trucking Show. Details remain sparse, of course, but Srikanth Padmanabhan, vice president of the company’s engine business noted that the ISX15 will feature enhancements including a more efficient turbocharger and reduced parasitic energy loss. The engine […]March 27, 2015TechnologyInternational’s WorkStar and DuraStar vocational trucks are about to get a whole lot smarterInternational Trucks announced that it is taking its onboard computing capabilities to the next level in its vocational truck line. At the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis today, International unveiled new body controlled modules called Body Builder. The new system works in conjunction with International’s Diamond Logic electronic platform. According to Carl Webb, Vice President […]March 4, 2015RoadbuildingSeismic tech shift led by Apple, Google and Tesla will rock transportation and the commercial truck marketIf you follow me on Twitter you know I tweet out stories I run across that highlight new technology in the automotive industry, in addition to more trucking-specific content. Every now and then someone will say to me, “What’s the deal? Do you want to be an automotive journalist?” Well—I already am an automotive journalist, […]March 3, 2015Construction EquipmentCummins, Eaton say SmartAdvantage is only the beginning of their powertrain collaborationsDuring a press briefing at the American Trucking Association’s Trucking Maintenance Council annual meeting in Nashville Sunday morning, Eaton and Cummins announced that they will be building on their joint SmartAdvantage powertrain partnership by initiating even more profound levels of planning and integration. Ryan Trzybinski, Eaton product planning manager, noted that more than 200 fleet customers […]February 15, 2015Construction EquipmentFirst and 10 at the 50: Where things stand with NavistarIf you follow me on Twitter, you know I spent a day this week at Navistar’s Financial Meeting, where the company explained to Wall Street analysts and trucking journalists how things are going these days. The company just wrapped up year two of its urgent turn-around program, instituted after its Exhaust Gas Recirculation-only (EGR) emissions strategy failed to […]February 10, 2015Construction EquipmentPeterbilt’s unveiling a new Model 567 config perfect for concrete contractors at World of ConcretePeterbilt Motors Company announced it will be unveiling a major new product configuration ideal for concrete contractors and other weight-conscious applications during the World of Concrete show in Las Vegas, February 2-6. Peterbilt Marketing Manager for Vocational Products Charles Cook said the to-be-introduced vehicle will be equipped with a PACCAR PX-9 engine, an Allison automatic […]January 19, 2015Construction EquipmentVolvo and Mack open support center aimed at preventing truck downtime before it happensDowntime is a killer for fleets with very real bottom line consequences. Customer support specialists for Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks North America calculate that a commerical vehicle downtime event today can cost a fleet as much as $2,000 a day per event. Obviously, mitigating or even avoiding costly downtime events is a high priority […]December 10, 2014Previous PagePage 2 of 21Next PageTop StoriesCollectors CornerScrappy Collector Rescues, Restores Vintage Equipment in YouTube VideosSam Descutner's YouTube channel “Scrappy Industries” has more than 60,000 followers watching his missions to save machines from the scrapyard.Compact equipmentVideo: A Closer Look at Yanmar’s V7 Compact Wheel LoaderMarket PulseBest-Selling Used Construction Equipment of 2023Contractor of the YearThe 2024 Contractor of the Year: Going Above Industry Standards in EverythingThe DirtAfter Deere Split, Hitachi Emerges on Its Own in America