NEWS IN BRIEF
FIRST U.S. LICENSE FOR AUTONOMOUS-DRIVING TRUCK Freightliner Trucks received the
first license in the United States for an autonomous-driving truck to operate on public highways from Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval. The Freightliner Inspiration was
previewed for the media at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on May 5, “a historic day in the areas of transportation and innovation” and a “monumental day for the human race,” Sandoval said. Trucking industry analysts and
media got a chance to ride in the Inspiration Truck nearby while the vehicle operated in autonomy the fol- lowing day. The inaugural ride was taken
by Wolfgang Bernhard, the head of Daimler AG’s global trucks and buses division, who praised the safety benefits of a machine “that never gets tired.” Martin Daum, president of
Daimler Trucks North America, said the Inspiration sets “new benchmarks in safety, connectivity and driver comfort.” However, Bernhard suggested no
other infrastructure is required, other than “nice white strips” on the highway. Other autonomous vehicles being
developed by Google and traditional car companies, may be making recent news. Truck makers at the unveiling of Freightliner’s Inspiration believe that automated tractor-trailers will be rolling along highways before self-driving cars hit the roads. Still, there likely will always be a
human behind the wheel, more as a logistics manager and alerted to take over in emergencies.
12 Currently four states certify testing
of autonomous vehicles on public roads as long as a human driver is behind the wheel. Bernhard said more states need to
allow testing of autonomous driving before fleets of self-driving semi-trucks fill U.S. freeways and interstates any- time soon. “Then it starts to make sense for
our customers,” Bernhard said, when states that allow it are linked together.
DEAN NEWELL OF MAVERICK TRANSPORTATION NAMED TCA’S SAFETY PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR
The Truckload
Carriers Association presented the 2015 Clare C. Casey Award to Dean Newell, vice president of safety and training for
Maverick Transportation, LLC, of North Little Rock, Ark. Presented at the Safety & Security Division Annual Meeting in Charlotte, N.C, the award is given to a safety professional whose actions and achievements have had a profound and positive benefit or contribution to better safety on our highways. Newell has been employed by
Maverick Transportation for more than 30 years. Known as a strong leader, he has
developed a reputation for assembling the best possible teams and mak- ing effective leadership decisions. He has won many distinguished awards, including the American Trucking
Associations’ (ATA) National Safety Director of the Year award, the Arkansas Trucking Association’s (ArTA) Safety Director of the Year, and numer- ous safety awards from Maverick during his years as a driver. According to Stephen Selig, the
president and COO of Maverick Transportation and Newell’s nominator, “Dean is whole-heartedly committed to the improvement of trucking safety across the board … not just within the corporate structure of Maverick.”
U.S. TRUCKING COMPANIES REPORT RECORD REVENUE FOR 2014 The trucking industry reported
a record $700.4 billion in revenue in 2014.
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 3 2015
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