Western Star 4700 5700 Ground Harness Recall

Western Star 4700 Ground Harness Recall Alert

An Undersized Ground Wire in some 2019-2021 Western Star 4700 and 5700 models may melt, subsequently causing the engine to stall without the ability to restart, posing both a potential fire and traffic hazard simultaneously, as an engine stall may increase the risk of a crash. Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Western Star 4700 and 5700 vehicles. A particular wire in the ground harness may…

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Cummins Unveils New All Electric Tractor Trailer

Cummins AEOS Electric Class 7 Truck

Cummins, a leading maker of diesel and natural gas engines for commercial trucks, unveiled a Class 7 heavy-duty truck cab Tuesday featuring an advanced 140 kWh battery pack that it will sell to bus operators and commercial truck fleets starting in 2019. The 18,000-pound tractor cab, dubbed AEOS after one of the four-winged horses driving the chariot of the Sun God, Helios, across the sky in Greek mythology, is just…

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Nvidia Partners with Paccar on Autonomous Trucks

Nvidia & Paccar Announce Partnership on Self-Driving Trucks

Around Silicon Valley, semiconductor giant Nvidia is best known for its graphics chips that power a wide range of video game technologies. But in recent years, the company’s growth has also been fueled by its investments in autonomous truck and connected car technologies. Riding that wave, Nvidia recently made clear that autonomous trucks are a priority as well. Nvidia just launched a partnership with Paccar — maker of the Kenworth,…

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Toyota Unveils Hydrogen Powered Class 8 Truck

Toyota Reveals its Hydrogen Powered Class 8 Tractor

Toyota’s family of eco-friendly vehicles gained a supersized sibling this morning in the form of Project Portal, a hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial truck. Along with representatives from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), the zero-emission truck proof of concept will be unveiled today at the Port of Los Angeles where it will take part in “a feasibility study examining the potential usage of fuel…

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Tesla to Unveil Electric Semi Truck this Fall

Tesla to Release Electric Class 8 Truck this Fall

Tesla Inc. plans to unveil an electric semi-truck in September, Elon Musk, the electric car company’s chief executive, said Thursday. Musk said last year that the company was working on an electric truck but has provided few details except to say it would have self-driving capabilities like other new Tesla models. On Twitter Thursday morning the tech entrepreneur said, “Tesla Semi truck unveil set for September. Team has done an…

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Class 8 Heavy Duty Truck Orders Up 42%

Class 5-8 Truck Orders Up

Orders for Class 5-8 trucks rose to a 16-month high in March, according to data from ACT Research. Preliminary net orders rose to 47,300 units, ACT reported, which represents a 19% improvement year-over-year. “Against easy comps, March Class 8 orders were up 42% compared to March 2016,” said Kenny Vieth, ACT’s president and senior analyst. “On a seasonally adjusted basis, orders were booked at a 267,000 unit SAAR in the…

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Forest River RV Power Steering Hose Recall

Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Berkshire and Charleston recreational vehicles built on Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) RV chassis. In these vehicles, the power steering hose may be improperly routed causing inadequate clearance between the hose and power stud. As a result, the hose can rub the power stud causing arcing and a power steering fluid leak. CONSEQUENCE: Arcing in the presence of power steering fluid…

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Kenworth Predictive Cruise Increases MPG

Kenworth Predictive Cruise Control System Increases Fuel Economy MPG

Kenworth has updated its Predictive Cruise Control functionality for T680 and T880 trucks equipped with the 2017 Paccar MX-11, MX-13, and Cummins X15 engines to improve fuel economy and overall MPG. The update was made with the launch of 2017 emission engines and provides up to a 1% improvement in fuel economy over the current versions with Predictive Cruise Control, according to Patrick Dean, Kenworth chief engineer. Kenworth’s Predictive Cruise…

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DOT Report on Tesla Trailer AutoPilot Crash

DOT Releases Report on Tesla Tractor-Trailer Accident

A report issued this month by the Department of Transportation regarding the high-profile 2016 crash involving a Tesla Model S and a tractor-trailer reached the conclusion — again — that the inattention of the Tesla’s driver was to blame for the crash. NHTSA says the car’s operator, who died in the collision, was leaning too heavily on the car’s driver assist systems, which failed to brake when a tractor-trailer crossed…

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Self Driving Semi Truck Makes First Delivery

Self Driving Otto Semi Truck

Otto and Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch made history in October by successfully making the first delivery by a self-driving semi truck. Yesterday, one of Otto’s self-driving truck prototypes traveled 120 miles on a stretch of Colorado highway between Fort Collins and Colorado Springs to deliver 51,744 cans of Budweiser beer. According to Otto, a professional driver assisted the truck on the entrance and exit ramps but could spend the rest of the…

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