Fleet Maintenance - 32

remotely, the truck needs to be in a stationary
position with cellular service to connect with the
Volvo Uptime Center," Makki explains.
In the case of International trucks, any fleet
that purchases a new LT or RH Series truck will
have OTA capabilities.
"All they need to do is start an OnCommand
Connection account and they will be able to
deploy calibrations from the portal," Edmonds
explains. "Alternatively, a user could log into the
portal and turn on Auto Updates so their vehicles
will always get the latest calibration right away."
With International's remote programming
capability, fleets are able to upgrade the engine
control module (ECM) software, as well as modify
programmable parameters.
"The parameters that can be changed are max
vehicle speed [cruise and pedal], predictive cruise
control settings, if equipped, and idle shutdown
time and associated settings," Edmonds says.
For truck manufacturer Peterbilt, a subsidiary
of Paccar, remote programming focuses on engine
and aftertreatment software updates for Paccar
MX-11 and MX-13 engines. The process is designed
to be thorough, yet flexible.
Ü The customer, such as a fleet technician thousands of miles away from the truck, uses the
Paccar OTA phone app to enable a specific
chassis update for OTA.
Ü To confirm the connection, the driver presses
the cruise control button for five seconds.
Ü The software status is then updated on the
Paccar Solutions Remote Diagnostic web portal
via the cloud.
Ü After downloading the software to the onboard
truck telematics gateway, the technician uses
the phone app to initiate a software install
onto the engine and aftertreatment electronic
control units (ECUs). The app walks the technician through the process.
Ü The phone app provides a status update while
also providing the option to roll back to the
previous version, if necessary.
In addition to remote "repairs" such as a forced
DPF regen, OTA updates enable customers to
switch between operating modes to maximize
performance and fuel efficiency.
"A real-world example that our customers run
into all the time is crossing the border from the
U.S. to Canada," Navistar's Edmonds says. "The
» Link's new ROI (Road-Optimized Intelligence)
uses sensors in the axle to monitor and
adjust performance, while also providing a
remote diagnostics benefit by alerting fleets
to potential system integrity issues such as
low pressure in airbags or lift actuators.
Photo courtesy of Link Mfg.

32 Fleet Maintenance | December 2019

U.S. allows for truck speeds up to 85 mph in some
cases, but Canada requires the vehicle to have a
speed limiter of 105 kph (about 65 mph). Many
customers stop at a shop near the border to have
the max speed changed. With OTA updates, that
can now be done passively to the driver prior to
them entering Canada and can be done at no cost."
Changes in topography can also be a factor. For
example, a driver may have finished a long, flat
stretch during which the truck's transmission
and engine were programmed and optimized for
fuel efficiency, but the next stretch of the route is
more mountainous.
"With remote programming, the driver could
pull over, connect to the Volvo Uptime Center,
initiate an update to optimize for performance,
and be back on the road in a matter of minutes,"
Volvo's Makki says.
Jason Krajewski, director of truck connectivity for Daimler Trucks North America, says some
fleets have gotten pretty creative with how they
are leveraging OTA technology. Daimler is a
manufacturer of several commercial truck brands
including Freightliner.
In one example, a truck's front radar system
was reporting a blockage. The truck continued to
leave the depot every day before the fleet manager
decided to take control of the situation. The fleet
manager used an OTA update to remotely reduce
the truck's maximum allowable speed to 25 mph,
forcing the driver to come back to the shop to have
the radar system repaired. In this case, safety was
the reason for the remote update.
Idle shutdown is another good example,
Krajewski points out. This can be seasonally
driven based on location and time of year. For

» Utilizing multiple internal networks,
Geotab's easy-to-install GO telematics
device captures a variety of vehicle data
including the engine, drivetrain, instrument
cluster, and other subsystems.
Photo courtesy of Geotab

instance, a fleet might want to remotely lower the
ambient temperature for a truck in Arizona in the
middle of August to help maintain a comfortable
cab for the driver.

Telematics providers move
toward remote programming
Dario Peruch, general manager of TEXA USA, points
out that many of today's telematics devices are
read-only, meaning that they can only provide some
degree of remote diagnostics capabilities but no
remote programming. That is beginning to change.
For instance, the TEXA eTRUCK can remotely perform emissions resets and speed limiters. TEXA USA offers a complete range of
products and services for diagnostic repair
and maintenance.
"The driver needs an app on a [smartphone]
and the ability to communicate [via regular
phone call or data transfer] to the workshop that
uses an online portal to see what's happening
to the truck," Peruch says. "Downtime is often
caused by emissions-related issues such as a
clogged filter. Connecting remotely and performing a regen would solve the issue and put the
truck back on the road as soon as possible."
Other telematics and diagnostics companies
are also taking steps to provide remote programming capability. For instance, through its 19.3
update, Cojali's software has the ability to run
OTA updates for a majority of Cummins engines.
To complement its TripVision remote diagnostics product, Noregon introduced TripVision
Uptime earlier this year.
"Fleets can easily view vehicles to improve
their current condition through a driver
action, such as adding more coolant or pulling over somewhere safe to force a DPF regen,"
Covington explains.
TripVision Uptime also allows fleets to clear

Fleet Maintenance

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fleet Maintenance