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PRODUCT
PROFILE
for enhanced sustainability. The air-free
commercial-tire solution is designed to be
retreadable. Retreads can help reduce natural-resource
consumption by replacing only
the tire tread rather than the entire tread and
casing combination.
“This offering has the power to reduce
downtime, maintenance and emergency
roadside service calls,” said Kimpel. “Combine
that with a high retread rate, and our
advanced air-free tire concept has potential
to substantially lower the overall total cost
of tire ownership for fleets.”
The advanced air-free commercial-truck
tire concept is part of a larger Bridgestone
air-free portfolio, which includes solutions
for personal mobility such as bicycles and
small electric vehicles. While the commercial-truck
tire concept is focused first on the
trailer position, it is intended to be scalable
to other commercial-trucking wheel positions
and applications.
Volvo Trucks’ driver-display activation
offers remote programming services
Volvo Trucks’ remote programming services
allow drivers and decision-makers to
update parameters and software that enhance
the performance of a truck’s engine, transmission
and aftertreatment. With the new driverdisplay
activation, when parameters or software
updates are available, an icon will flash
on the instrument cluster screen. At the next
planned stop, the driver can activate the update
via the truck’s instrument cluster and be
back on the road again within minutes.
“With the introduction of Volvo Trucks’
new driver-display activation, the process
time for software and parameter updates has
been improved by an average of 50%,” said
Ash Makki, Volvo Trucks North America
product marketing manager. “Now, from customer
initiation to completion, an update can
be done in less time than a driver typically
takes for a break or fill up.”
This new service means that instead of
scheduling an appointment to complete uploads,
drivers can completely upgrade the software
and parameters on their own, from anywhere,
without the need for personal assistance
from a Volvo Action Services team member.
However, agent assistance will still be
available through Volvo Trucks’ Uptime Center
in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“We still have agents who follow the
success of each update,” Makki said. “We
believe in having real people behind our
technology 24/7.”
Software updates are critical to maximize
vehicle performance and uptime.
“There’s a direct connection between
keeping a truck updated with the latest software
and reducing fault codes, in addition to
the truck running more efficiently, improving
the environmental footprint and reducing
operational costs,” said Conal Deedy, Volvo
Trucks North America director of commercial
telematics solutions.
In addition to system updates, the new driver-display
activation allows drivers and fleets to
change parameters on the truck to alter the vehicle’s
performance. Parameters for various applications
can be customized and packaged in kits
that can set maximum road speed, cruise-speed
limit, shift patterns, idle shutdown time, etc.
This ensures the truck is optimally configured
for the environment in which it is operating.
For instance, a driver or fleet owner with
trucks that regularly travel into Ontario,
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