The trucking industry of today is much different from how it used to be. One reason for this is because of improvements of trucking tech. These technological strides have helped make a trucker’s job much easier. In fact, there’s a few key improvements which have really helped…
Trucking Tech: How It Helps
ELDs
One helpful piece of trucking tech has been ELDs, or Electronic Logging Devices. These devices are so important, that they have been made a requirement for all truck drivers. Like the name implies, these devices mainly are used to log a trucker’s trips. An ELD connects to the truck’s engine, and tracks when it’s in motion.
These devices are very helpful because they allow for truckers to easily see their daily driving hours. Before these devices, truckers had to fill out all this information by hand. As you can imagine, this was both costly and time-consuming. Now, thanks to these devices, truckers save around 20 years of driving time per year by not having to fill out documents!
GPS
Another key piece of trucking tech has been the GPS, or Global Positioning System. GPS has been a fantastic tool for regular drivers, and it’s no different for truck drivers either. Before, truck drivers would have to plan out their hauls with maps. Not only was this time consuming, but these maps were unruly, and hard to read, especially if a trucker wasn’t familiar with the area.
Now, GPS allows for truckers to easily plot out a route to their destinations. Plus, GPS is readily available on modern smartphones, meaning truck drivers don’t have to buy pricey, separate GPS units. These apps can also show truckers important stops for things like gas, food, or rest.
Voice recognition
Voice recognition is a more-recent piece of trucking tech which has really become helpful. While it’s handy to have GPS on cell phones, it also comes with a risk. Usually, truck drivers have to use the phone itself if they want to see what’s up ahead, or input any changes. This means their attention is taken off the road, distracting them and increasing the chance of an accident.
With voice recognition, truckers can now simply speak to their phones and get a response. Want to know when the next rest stop is, or places to stop for food? All a trucker has to do is ask their phone about it! That way, they get the info they need without taking their attention away from the road.