Is This a “High Tech” Industry?

What visual images are conjured by the phrase “high tech”?  Is it a clean room full of lasers and a gaggle of white-coated scientists?  Racks of data servers in a climate-controlled facility with high-level security access?  Lines and lines of computer code?  To answer the question for myself, I went ahead and used Google to search for images and not surprisingly, the search returned all the images listed above and hundreds more.  Interestingly … not a single image of a Class 8 truck.

Why is this?  Why wouldn’t the modern-day heavy duty truck qualify for the high-tech label?  Consider the following aspects of the vehicle and its application:

• Truck aerodynamics are optimized using the same tools developed to support the aerospace industry; aerodynamic design accounts for 40% of the vehicle’s total fuel efficiency.
• Truck/Trailer fleet operations use satellite-based communications and sophisticated logistics algorithms to optimize the efficient movement of freight.
• Diesel powertrain design has been successfully re-engineered so that the exhaust gasses will, in certain regions, be cleaner than the intake air.  Among the technologies used to achieve this level of performance is Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), which blends gaseous ammonia with the exhaust gasses, optimizing the function of the catalytic converter.
• Currently available next-generation safety technologies include adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, drowsy driver alert, stability control, and rollover-prevention systems, each employing advanced hardware and software in their construction.

Each of the systems listed (and many that were omitted) are the result of exceptional engineering design – but they are not high tech.  Why?  The answer is that the truck industry does not create technology – it adapts existing technology to meet its purpose.  Whether it’s an oxygen sensor in the emissions system or the work done in wind tunnels, the truck industry is constantly borrowing from outside the industry to meet its needs.  And if this appears to diminish or demean the quality of the engineering design involved in truck development – think again.

To appreciate the engineering that goes into a Class 8 truck, consider its usage.  The reality is that trucks exist for one purpose: to create revenue.  They are, purely and simply, an asset, and the owner of the asset requires a return on his investment.  That return is maximized when the asset can be obtained for the lowest possible price and sold for the highest possible value at the end of its “useful” life.  As for that “useful life” … imagine deploying your asset into an environment that demands

• Safety.  There are huge risks inherent in the operation of a vehicle that has a gross combination weight of 40,000 to 80,000 pounds and is capable of traveling at speeds in excess of 70 mph in all weather conditions and varying terrains.
• Reliability and Durability.  Owners and operators have an expectation that the vehicle they purchase will not fail unexpectedly and that it will be available to accomplish its mission over a life of several years and a distance of up to a million miles.
• Efficiency.  The freight market is ruthless.  Dozens, if not hundreds of companies compete for the ability to move freight, and margins are thin.  In an industry where cost per mile is calculated to a fraction of a penny, the operating cost of a truck is of supreme importance.  This has ramifications in multiple areas, the most prominent of which are fuel efficiency and vehicle uptime.

I worked for years in a company that was founded and led by former rocket scientists, and I can tell you, these amazingly talented engineers were supremely challenged by the crucible of demands inherent in the design of truck-mounted components.  I’d like to see a term we could use as a substitute for “high-tech” that captures the level of innovation and creativity applied to the design of Class 8 Trucks.  Any suggestions?

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