Worked readying 7 new tractors today, I mainly installed the new QualComs-E-log on the dashes. But I did notice a rather odd object attached to the top of the steering boxes--A computer controlled Servo. Incorporated into the lane change avoidance system--Self correcting steering when vehicle comes to close to other vehicles on the road. I have a call in with a service manager to discuss it's operation, he looked up the last six of the vin then tells me the truck went into service 11-2-20 and he knew nothing about the new steering, except that servo unit as far as he could tell wasn't even in a DC yet but it did have a price tag of $6,300. And the steering gear is special to that system with a hefty price tag. And people don't think driverless trucks will ever happen, other than a GPS guidance system needed also this is getting pretty close. I kind of like it-I'm more up and techno geek than the rest.
Rigs like mine just went in value to people like me and up in value to insurance rates for not having such junk. Wonder how long before one can hack it with laptop and steer it anywhere it shouldn't be. We are handing ourselves to terrorist and a police state.
Actually your a little bit wrong there spud, the insurance companies give a break on premiums with the lane change avoidance systems. Insurance companies like it. And for those older rigs with manual transmissions-70 plus percent of the new rigs coming off the assembly line are AMT-transmissions. The day of the manual gear box is coming to an end whether people like it or not. The sales in re-manufactured manual transmissions have dropped a few notches and as time goes by those will be harder to get and the price will get stupid for the ones that remain. Eaton will probably do as they have done in the past and start grinding up the cores because they want to sell new.
Should we start hoarding transmissions?
If it's a RTLO I would, the old non low inertia like RTO146 and down I would let the chipper have them. Most of those cases are worn out anyway. The price will drop then slowly climb a way's down the road. But replacement parts are going to increase aftermarket or oem. The dealer we just bought this last seven from just placed a order for 5 AMT end dumps. like I say it's coming to and end slowly for manual gear boxes.
No I was correct, it's what I meant is those without a lane change avoidance system our premiums and such will go up! Guess I'm going to hoard the largest RTLO's I can find cause eventually for sh!ts and grins I will have the largest manual Cummins one can shove in a semi or couple of them with most power one squeeze out of them without hurting longevity.
I understand the reason for moving away from full manual transmissions, it seemed all I ever operated had one thing or another wrong with them from ham fisted operators or maybe from my own ham fistedness. But I would be interested to learn what are the drawbacks of old fashioned clutch and converter based transmissions (Allison). Are they less efficient than AMT type transmissions so not used in line haul? Or is it just a matter of no crossover between one market segment and another (vocational vs line haul). I did hear that there was a propane transport fleet that uses Allison transmission in their OTR sleeper equipped semis but I don't know if it's true.
Yes you are, I miss read that. I think for the most part it's fuel mileage plus the fact that the big manufactures want to sell a truck with all of their components, Our Freightliners are Freightliner from front to back. The first six Freightliner AMT's had some glitches but the rest have run without a single issue. I only have two trucks left to take care of that have manual gearboxes. And as for the drive axles we have never had a single issue on over 65 tractors. We will see how the steering system goes.
I will post a photo of steering gear servo later today.
It's called "vertical integration" and it's what happened with Kenworth and Peterbilt and drove the Cat truck engines off the market. The move is for cradle to grave control of the product line on everything from bearings to steering wheels to lights and drive train parts. There are a few laws in place to prevent that scenario for the time being, but as automated systems increasingly come on line, manufacturers will use safety as an aspect of forcing the little people out of the game. Automation is not far away.
From what I have seen in the last five years it's moving at a rapid rate. If doesn't have a sensor today it will tomorrow.
I ferried one of the new tractors from the dealer back to the shop today, I tested it and my hunch was correct it has corrective steering incorporated with the lane change avoidance system. It only worked at highway speed-the slowest I tried was 45. As soon as you get close to the fog line on right side there is a audible and you can feel the steering wheel tug to the left slightly. On cruise it's a little more pronounced. I tried it letting it drift to the right in a corner, it steered it's self back to center of lane, there is also a warning in the main menu cluster that lights up if you take your hands off the wheel even for a split second, first a audible tone then it says {Hands on wheel}. I believe the ambient temperature sensor will shut off the corrective steering when ice could be present. Below is a photo of the steering box with corrective steering apparatus.
Doesn't look like that would be expensive to replace…or figure out why it's not working....
They don't go ding, ding, ding, ding any more. They go $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!
To go with the other new stuff-----Some things I have been keeping track of on 25 of our latest tractors. And this is averaged over 12.5 million miles on combined tractors Greaseless u-joints--have only lost one and it was covered under warranty which is good for 450,000 miles. Rear drive axles-Center section--Haven't lost one or had issues . Automated Manual Transmissions---Haven't had a internal failure, wiring harness yes have had a few issues. And those were covered under warranty. One reason things are lasting longer is the human is taken out of the picture. The AMT gear boxes shift quicker and smoother no grinding no forced shifts, The trans will only shift when told to by ecm taking out human error, there is no one side stepping/dumping the clutch shock loading the drive train, no heavy footed throttle action. No screwed up down shifts no missed gears. The power divider is taking way less abuse.
Which is passed on to the consumer.
I hope you fill that way later on.
I bought a new service truck in 06 had ann Allison put in it. Told everyone that "It was smarter than me and knows when to shift"
I only have a few years left and have covered five decades of innovation-I found out along time ago if you don't try to keep half way currant you will be left raking leaves. That be said since the beginning of time, and time just keeps moving on.
I've driven a few Allisions, none of which where very good at shifting, every one still had me swearing either "why the **** are you shifting?" or "why the **** aren't you shifting?". Pickup autos are much better and I wouldn't bother with a manual in one, but i've never driven any automatic with a loaded vehicle that would shift at the right time, especially for hills.
Wonder what will happen the first time that thing flips a tractor trailer for correcting on ice? Ambient temperature sensor to turn it off won't help unless it's really high, it could be above freezing and still have ice on the road.
Land departure is a far far cry from self driving. How do they plan to have a driverless truck tie down loads? Check the load securement every 2 hours? Untie and make sure straps are back for next load? Backup in soft ground? Back up into the crazy tight loading docks with cars everywhere? Any bets the computer would just shut down and the truck block off the road until someone comes to fix it? I've seen the videos of Telsa self driving a small car, they still have glitches and issues, they aren't even close to navigating a tractor trailer though a city.
It's not worth the time to respond.
Cab heater cores on Freightliner Cascadia. Total disassembly of dash, the core is molded into dash. The core is cut out and a panel is screwed into place to retain core and cover the hole. There are other models that are done the same way. Figure on a 8 hr day.
Wow
The lane keeping depends on a camera on the windshield (at least on cars) Talking to the Safelite glass guy, he said the dealer is required to calibrate the camera after a windshield replacement. Safelite wants no part of the potential liability. How does a OTR truck know where the lane is ?
There is a camera at bottom of grille and on the right side. Plus the 2020/2021's are at top center of windshield.
Customer of mine has a Tesla. Once he gets on the highway he doesn’t touch the wheel till he’s ready to exit 40 minutes later.
We return to the Henry Ford River Run complex theory, raw materials in at one end, finished product out the other.
Driverless will be for power only runs, portal to portal warehouse stuff in closed and sealed vans. Freight will be handled outside the warehouses the way it's handled inside, they won't even need lights inside the buildings because no humans will enter except to take care of malfunctions, breakdowns and unexpected "departures from programmed activities" that need cleaned up after. Trucks with no cabs will take some getting used to.
I think it would be great for my little operation. Put dozer on the lowboy. Tell the truck where to go. Follow the truck to the next jobsite. Unload the dozer and tell the truck to go back to the shop. That alone would save me quite a bit of time. I will probably be retired by the time I would be able to afford that kind of technology though. I wonder how the DOT will get a self driving truck pulled over to give it an inspection??
They'll just pass it and swerve right, the truck will automatically brake and pull over to the shoulder. Safety. Unless it runs on windows......
River Rouge. Largely still owned by Ford, but the steelmaking was sold off several years ago.
Rouge, right... Senior moment damnit, lol
Why is it that my mind goes to the movie ...Maximum Overdrive....
Word to the prospective buyer--if any. The 2018 and early 2019 DD15/16 has issues with intake valves stretching and require a valve adjustment every 50 to 60,000 miles. Only way to solve it is replace cylinder head. You can hear a thumping noise in the air cleaner from air pulsing past the intakes in some cases, plus uneven cranking.
Why is it we insist on making stuff "better" and it seems to bite the customers in the butt? CP4 sound familiar?
I've said it on here and at work repeatedly-------------The enemy of Good is Better.
Apparently Western Star is Done with manual transmissions all together. Personally I am not a fan of automatic transmissions, however if I was hiring a driver nowadays I would certainly consider the automatic transmission, not that a driver is going to damage a manual transmission, but a driver is not going to damage an automatic. The reality is one thing we cannot control is time, time rolls ahead, and technology with it. It is going to take a new type of technician to work on these newer technologies, if for nothing else the interest in the issues that are happening, as TS pointed out earlier the base mechanical components are running relatively trouble free, it is the modules and wiring that are the issues, over the last 100 years we have worked out the issues of differentials, and come up with the lubricants to support longevity. 25 years ago we didn't even know what the internet was, today we are searching for information on a cell phone anywhere in the country from the front seat of a car. I drove an F150 that had lane assist and park assist, that truck could find a parking spot and parallel park itself hands free, I hate to admit it but pretty cool. I left that truck got in my ten year old truck with a ripped seat and manual transmission and drove away knowing I was in the right seat.
My wife is shopping for a replacement, and she is quite enamored with the lane assist and blind spot warning features. These features are coming, like it or not.
I didnt want to but i had to start driving a 2003 pickup that has been setting because i couldnt find something older to drive in the time i had to look But now i am looking for some older pickups to buy so if i dont want to i will not have to deal with new tec stuff. Some things are ok but the 03 every time i want to open the passenger door i have to remember that its locked. Why it dosent have a override that would be great and the newer stuff you need a spare key or always remove the key or take the chance it may lock you out.In the future there will be less and less young people and poor people owning cars because todays stuff will be imposable to keep running because they are so complicated to repair.
Know all too many that are buying 10-15 year old SUVs and Pickups low miles but the electronics have failed, are buying at a bargain as the owners just want them gone. Reman Dash or Entertainment systems are in the upper hundreds to thousands so they do without and add Wally World radios or other less tech crap to get by. Do not care if speedo or gauges do not work so long as runs, use failed instrumentation to get out of tickets and does work. Fly by wire ATs were out with the Allison's we got at the utility in the 90s. Lineman were less apt to be able to drive MTs so went to ATs and traded off generally before major failures. I do not mind a stick, last clutch pickup I had went close to 200,000 when got rid of and still had OEM Clutch, just not hard on them. Keep MT oils changed and clean and should last forever, not so sure of ATs, sprags, ported sealed pressure lube pathways, wet clutch friction discs at minimal value when new, just do not see them lasting as well. The newer Semi Auto trans versions were coming out as I got out of full time mechanic, those have advanced SOME but still not sold on them.
I bought my Toyota in 2013 brand new with a six speed manual transmission. I traded my 1993 Toyota in with 265,000 miles because the moon roof leaked. I didn't want to buy new but all the used Toyota Tacoma trucks had more that 150,000 miles on them and the prices were 65% of new. In 2015 the company I was employed at got me a new 2015 Toyota Tacoma with an automatic. I put 65,000 miles on that rig and it never missed a beat. Sometimes when I'm rowing through a traffic jam, I think about how nice my left leg felt with that slush box.