Together with the Center for Composite Materials at the University of Delaware, Wabash will develop a refrigerated truck body/trailer solution made with composite materials and installed with lightweight solar panels.

Zhija, established in 2016, is understood to be the first company in China to be awarded a licence to carry out heavy-duty autonomous truck trials on the country’s open roads.

The Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer says it produced a new transmissions system on its main assembly line using some remanufactured parts from old gearboxes.

Part of its ‘Eckstreme’ series of twin-deckers, the new trailer sits on three axles and weighs about 450 kilograms less than previous iterations in the range.

At IAA Transportation 2024 last month, I experienced firsthand the magnetic effect of the “Tesla phenomenon”. Towards the end of a series of keynote speeches delivered by some of the industry’s most important executives, Dan Priestley, who heads the development of Tesla’s heavy electric ‘Semi’ truck, took to the stage to provide an update on the company’s plans for the commercial vehicle segment. I had a place towards the front, having sat through the preceding talks that afternoon, which were reasonably well attended; however, looking behind just before Priestley’s entry to the stage, I saw a new crowd of attendees filling out the entire space.

Brigade voluntarily submitted their key products, including Sidescan Predict and Radar Predict, to independent testing at Loughborough University, where they passed the new Progressive Safe System (PSS) requirements for both Blind Spot Information Systems (BSIS) and Moving Off Information Systems (MOIS).

In July, American powertrain manufacturer, Cummins Inc, opened a new test facility at its engine plant in Darlington in the northeast of England, with the attendance of T&BB and other members of the trade press. The company has carried out engine testing at Darlington for many years, but the new facility represents a definitive change in approach to product development and evaluation. While the older test cells are solely designed to assess engines, the new facility can accommodate an entire truck or bus for whole vehicle testing. Moreover, the building which houses the new facility is specifically made to safely test gas and hydrogen combustion vehicles.

New European legislation mandating the use of tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) for all new commercial vehicles, including trailers, came into effect on July 7. Any tyre pressure change that exceeds 20% must be displayed (in real-time) on the driver's dashboard, alerting them to the issue as a safety precaution.

The funding will cover both the purchase of electric buses and the installation of necessary charging infrastructure. Each school bus can receive up to USD 470,000 in grants, which includes up to USD 95,000 for charging infrastructure.

The Ministry of Transport in Japan is considering introducing dedicated lanes for self-driving trucks on highways connecting major cities to help reduce congestion and address driver shortages.

The Zemo Partnership has been formed to aid the new government in its plans to accelerate road transport decarbonisation. The Council will work closely with over 200 member organisations to develop a roadmap for net zero transport.

The amended legislation will further reduce CO2 emissions from road transport and introduce new targets for 2030, 2035 and 2040.