august2021 - 30

SPOTLIGHT ON TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
Kodiak bears down
on autonomous
vehicle maintenance
Kodiak Robotics
shares what
technicians can
expect when AVs
are in the bay. The
key takeaway-
maintenance is
more important
than ever.
by Tyler Fussner
A
30 Fleet Maintenance | August 2021
utonomous trucks are already being tested on
select routes today, and it won't be long before
highways-and maintenance bays-are full of
them. As with any disruption to the status quo,
there are questions; and there is no exception in
the case of commercial vehicle technicians curious
as to how their profession will change to adjust to
the maintenance of autonomous vehicles (AVs).
To understand what a maintenance team
can expect when an AV rolls into their bay, Fleet
Maintenance spoke with Dan Goff, head of policy
for Kodiak Robotics, an autonomous technology
company focused on long-haul trucking.
Fleet Maintenance: Can you explain what level
of autonomy Kodiak vehicles operate at?
Dan Goff: At Kodiak, we are developing SAE
Level 4 autonomous trucks. Level 4 basically
» " To some extent, not a lot is going to change
other than the requirement and the standard
that trucks need to be maintained to. Generally
speaking, 90% of what you're working on, on
the truck, is the same. The biggest changes are
going to come from some new components, " said
Dan Goff, head of policy for Kodiak Robotics.
Images courtesy of Kodiak Robotics
means that a vehicle can operate without human
intervention or human oversight, or even can
be completely driverless under some relatively
narrow circumstances. For example, you could
have an SAE Level 4 vehicle that drops people
off at their cars after a sporting event.
We're focused on initially deploying our trucks
without a driver on highway routes, and then
expanding from there to eventually get from
distribution center to distribution center. The technology
is considered Level 4 because it can operate
without a human. But it can't go everywhere, and
we are not planning on backing up to the local
grocery store-at least not for a very long time.
Today, I think it's important to note we are still
testing these vehicles. There is one autonomous
vehicle joke-you can tell a vehicle drives itself
because it has two people in the cab at all times.
While we are testing, we have a highly trained
truck driver with a commercial driver's license
who is ready to take control should it be necessary.
We also have an engineer in the passenger
seat who is watching the computer, watching the

august2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of august2021

Uptime: Lessons learned from deferred maintenance
Equipment: Why telematics should extend from tractor to trailer
In the Bay: The battery-electric vehicle bay emerges
Shop Operations: How to optimize your shop parts strategy
Drivetrain: Keys to efficient fuel system performance
Technology Trends: Kodiak bears down on autonomous vehicle maintenance
Diagnostics: How sensors impact heavy-duty scan tools
Management: Success in succession planning requires early start
Economic Outlook: Trucking industry faces post-recession blues
Fleet Parts & Components: What's new in products for more efficient fleet operation
Tools & Equipment: A roundup of the latest tool and equipment offerings
Classifieds
Guest Editorial: Why buy polyurethane truck parts?
august2021 - 1
august2021 - 2
august2021 - 3
august2021 - 4
august2021 - 5
august2021 - 6
august2021 - 7
august2021 - Uptime: Lessons learned from deferred maintenance
august2021 - 9
august2021 - Equipment: Why telematics should extend from tractor to trailer
august2021 - 11
august2021 - 12
august2021 - 13
august2021 - 14
august2021 - 15
august2021 - 16
august2021 - 17
august2021 - In the Bay: The battery-electric vehicle bay emerges
august2021 - 19
august2021 - 20
august2021 - 21
august2021 - 22
august2021 - 23
august2021 - Shop Operations: How to optimize your shop parts strategy
august2021 - 25
august2021 - 26
august2021 - 27
august2021 - Drivetrain: Keys to efficient fuel system performance
august2021 - 29
august2021 - Technology Trends: Kodiak bears down on autonomous vehicle maintenance
august2021 - 31
august2021 - 32
august2021 - 33
august2021 - Diagnostics: How sensors impact heavy-duty scan tools
august2021 - 35
august2021 - Management: Success in succession planning requires early start
august2021 - Economic Outlook: Trucking industry faces post-recession blues
august2021 - Fleet Parts & Components: What's new in products for more efficient fleet operation
august2021 - Tools & Equipment: A roundup of the latest tool and equipment offerings
august2021 - 40
august2021 - Classifieds
august2021 - Guest Editorial: Why buy polyurethane truck parts?
august2021 - 43
august2021 - 44
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