Many of you are probably like me. The amount of technology options available these days can be overwhelming at times. You worry about high risks and high rewards. You worry about whether the decision you are making is right or wrong. And making the wrong decision can come with a pretty hefty price tag.
Especially now in the “messy middle” of trucking, it can be hard to know what to do. Sometimes you get paralyzed waiting for the right solution to fall into your lap. There is no one right answer at this point, and it is likely that we will be years or even decades away from identifying the one or few that will work in all duty cycles.
You might find it helpful to look at the decisions made during the messy middle as being short-term. Even though they will get you closer to where you want to be, many are not likely to remain your solution of choice 20 years from now. That does not mean you should avoid making any changes.
See also: Roeth: Take the fork in the road to zero
A careful and thorough analysis of your business will help you make the right choice—or more likely, choices. Talk to customers about how they see their businesses changing.
Take a close look at every truck, every route, every duty cycle, every driver, etc., so that you have a clear understanding of how you operate today. Next, determine which things need to stay just the way they are either because you need to satisfy a customer need or because of a regulatory or operational restriction. Then look at places where you can make changes and adjustments.
Once you’ve figured that out, seek counsel from people you trust and brainstorm ideas for change with them. This can include fleets in duty cycles similar to yours, advisers like NACFE and others, attendees at trade shows, members of your trade associations, etc.
After you have gathered information and identified areas where you can make changes and improvements, take action. The action does not have to be big; even small changes can make a big difference. And I encourage you to look at the actions you take today as the first step in what is likely to be more significant changes over the next several decades as we see advances in alternative-fueled vehicles. Making changes now will get your team used to change, so it won’t seem so overwhelming or scary.
I know some fleets are tempted to just sit, wait, and continue with business as usual. They prefer to avoid dabbling in the messy middle at all. In the long run, that may seem like a comfortable and comforting course of action, but it will leave those fleets far behind in understanding the new technologies that will be the hallmark of the trucking industry’s future.
Do your research and analysis, and seek advice from trusted sources. Then take the leap by making the best decision for your fleet today knowing that it might not be the best decision for tomorrow.
Michael Roeth has worked in the commercial vehicle industry for nearly 30 years, most recently as executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE). He serves on the second National Academy of Sciences Committee on Technologies and Approaches for Reducing the Fuel Consumption of Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles and has held various positions in engineering, quality, sales, and plant management with Navistar and Behr/Cummins.
