Another year has flown by. And what an interesting year it has been. Probably the most contentious election in a generation, economic uncertainty, soft freight market, new federal regulations endlessly on the horizon- never a dull moment. But with the election behind us, we look forward to a successful and robust 2017- in the windshield.
We have many exciting projects this year and into next to help us as we move forward. First is the ongoing refresh of our trailer fleet. We will take delivery of 400 (56+ already in service) new refrigerated trailers between now and next summer. This is just the start, as we move to a seven year trade cycle to keep our trailer fleet efficient and reliable.
We are also nearing completion of the update to the Blue Tree in cab devices to provide you the leading edge in technology. The android platform will give us the flexibility to enhance the functionality of your unit as needed.
We are currently deploying SmartDrive forward facing video cameras. This will help you be a safer more productive professional driver. It has already helped protect NCI from litigation. During our pilot program, in two incidents, it clearly showed we were not at fault. We have also deployed Transflo/NCI mobile app to allow communication and information flow to and from your mobile device. If you haven’t tried it check it out.
And we will be replacing our 2014 T-680s next year. Truck technology is moving as quickly as every other segment of our industry. We recently took delivery of fifteen 2017 T-680s to test the water. These trucks are equipped with Bendix Wingman with adaptive cruise and brake assist as well as Blind Spot Warning. They are also equipped with predictive cruise that recognizes your GPS position and will react proactively to the terrain ahead, without you having to lift a finger. And they are equipped with “Virtual technician” that will allow us visibility to your engine alerts for quick diagnosis and up time.
We are on course for a successful 2017.
