More than a century has gone by since the beginning of the trucking industry, yet the technological advances experienced in the last 60 years have been most astonishing. From six-volt electrical systems to electronic stability control, from bias plies to low-rolling resistance tires, and from square box designs to advanced aerodynamics, truck technology has made extraordinary advances in efficiency and productivity.

Through the years, ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) has led the drive to push our industry forward through its thought leadership on user expectations for future trucks. If there’s one thing TMC members have learned in this process, the future is much closer than we think.

TMC’s Future Truck Committee has developed scores of position papers and information reports, challenging industry to produce truck designs that are increasingly efficient and cost-effective. Each year, the Committee challenges its task forces to address genuine future technologies, as opposed to manufacturers’ developments that will be marketed within the next five years. Accordingly, TMC’s Future Truck Committee offers technical insights on the design and development of commercial vehicles 10-15 years into the future and beyond.

Future Truck’s primary objective is to define user expectations for equipment that improve safety, maximize payload, and minimize cost. In this role, TMC serves as the collective voice of the equipment user.

During this session, panelists will share projections made by the Council’s Study Groups and Committees on the future of trucking technology and business practices. These groups, in turn, define recommended practices to assist end-users in the design, specification, maintenance and performance of commercial vehicle equipment.

The insights to be presented represent the consensus of the Council’s more than 3,200 members on what direction truck technology should take in the coming decades based on the projected needs for equipment. Join us and see what your fleet peers expect in terms of equipment performance, maintenance, reliability and durability, and how manufacturers might meet those needs through a host of technological and data management advances.