DC Velocity - August 2015

inbound

Drivers who follow behind big trucks too closely often find their view of the road ahead blocked by the 18-wheeler’s cargo doors. Now, one company says the solution for better safety might have been right under the tailgaters’ noses all along.

Consumer electronics giant Samsung has built a prototype “clear truck” that uses its broad backside as a movie screen, displaying an unobstructed view of the road in front of the truck.

The system works by mounting four large display screens on the truck’s rear doors, connected by a wireless feed to digital cameras mounted in the cab. Thanks to the corporation’s experience in manufacturing smartphones, cameras, and television sets, the system even works at night.

Samsung intends for the tool to help reduce accidents caused when trailing cars try to pass slower trucks on two-lane roads, but in addition to warning of oncoming traffic, the screen would also show obstacles such as animals crossing the road, swerving motorists, or sudden braking.

The original prototype is no longer on the road, but Samsung says it plans to roll out the system in global markets after working with regional governments to satisfy local permitting and safety-testing requirements.

Tailgaters get clearer view of the road ahead

Big-rig drivers cruise America’s highways every day, but most of the commuters and recreational drivers who share the roads with them have never seen the inside of an 18-wheeler’s cab.

To pull back the curtain on the private lives of professional drivers, a photographer from Vice magazine recently spent several days shooting pictures of these rolling workplaces, each one a combination of office, bunkroom, kitchen, and living space.

Snapped at truck stops in New York and Pennsylvania, the 42 photographs in the gallery show drivers young and old, single and married, hauling everything from chickens to furniture to industrial equipment.

Photographer Joshua Simpson discovered that every trucker has built a personal space with most of the comforts of a stationary home, packed into tight quarters and criss-crossed with power cords for an array of cell phones, GPS devices, DVD players, and satellite radios.

The drivers themselves also showed plenty of character, with one man proudly showing off his vintage Peterbilt dashboard, another driver and his wife making room to bring their granddaughter along on road trips, and a third driver traveling with his wife as they save up money to remodel their house.

To see the collection of photos, visit www.vice.com/en_uk/read/photos- from-inside-the-cabs-of-long-distance-truckers-001.

Photos shed light on the private lives of truckers

Many transportation companies that handle food products in North America have to meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s special standard for safe food handling, known as the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification.

Challenging as it is to meet these exacting hygiene standards, things could be tougher. Logistics companies doing business overseas sometimes face additional hurdles— ones that are based not on food science but on cultural norms.

The latest example is Yusen Logistics, which announced in April that its subsidiary TASCO Berhad had earned halal certification from the Malaysian government’s Department of Islamic Development Malaysia.

Muslims use the term “halal” to refer to food, drinks, and activities permitted by Islamic scripture. Islamic law also dictates how foods are handled and prepared, and stretches to cover cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

TASCO Berhad is now halal-compliant both for its transportation operations— covering 25 vehicles located at the company’s facilities in Penang, Malacca, Selangor, and Johor— and for its warehousing facility, the 97,000-square-foot Penang Prai Logistics Center.

Yusen plans to leverage its new expertise for profit, continuing to provide logistics services within Malaysia and also creating a one-stop halal logistics service connected to its international network. With the global halal market forecast to reach $2.6 trillion in 2015, the move could pay off big.