Getting Comfortable with Chaos
I’m fresh off a week at ACT Expo in Vegas, where a shift in the conversations from previous years took place. Fleet managers and the industry as a whole are no longer just talking about alternative fuels; instead, the discussion has broadened around new technology that helps fleets operate with more efficiency, safety and confidence. That includes topics fleet managers really want answers to. We’re seeing more weight being put on practicalities like uptime, safety, productivity and performance.
There was also a buzz around autonomous vehicles, which is why we were thrilled to feature a Kodiak truck in the Roush booth. If you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend watching this short video: Kodiak x Roush. This collaboration is a strong example of where commercial transportation is headed and how Roush’s decades of engineering and innovation make visions come to life.
Kodiak selected Roush as its manufacturing partner to scale the upfitting of autonomous trucks equipped with the Kodiak Driver, its AI-powered autonomous solution. The trucks are currently being upfitted at our facility in Livonia, Michigan. Roush is providing a unique value-add by building a flexible manufacturing process that will help Kodiak move faster and better meet customer needs — it’s exactly the kind of practical, deployment-focused innovation fleets want and need right now.
This year’s ACT Expo also reinforced something we’ve known for a long time: while hydrogen and electric have been dominating the headlines, fleets increasingly want affordable and proven solutions. Our answer is efficient, safe and reliable propane vehicles that drive savings in excess of $.30 per mile without compromising range, performance or payload.
We live in unprecedented times. Getting comfortable with the realization that we live in a world of uncertainty and chaos will help you search out companies and solutions — like Roush and propane — that help reduce some of the risk in your operations.
Stay safe.
Here’s what I’m reading this month:
