Motive releases new AI-powered positive driving model to reward good driving

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Motive releases new AI-powered positive driving model to reward good driving

(Photo: Thomas Wasson/FreightWaves)

Technology and telematics provider Motive recently announced the release of Positive Driving, a new AI model that automatically identifies good driving behaviors. Some of the positive driving behaviors being recognized include quickly reacting to obstacles to avoid collisions or creating a safe following distance when cut off by another vehicle.

The tech is part of a larger trend by fleets to incorporate more positive driver coaching. In the past, most driver coaching was negative feedback, as the technology at the time forced fleets to be reactive, either from a customer complaint, an accident, a speeding event or being pulled over. With developments in cheaper hardware, better computing power and greater data bandwidth, positive behaviors are able to be identified and celebrated.

Motive notes that with the new AI-powered recognition, fleets saw a 64% decline in safety incidents and 43% lower turnover.

“Rewarding exceptional driving performance is more than a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic lever,” said Karol Smith, director of transport safety at Estes Forwarding Worldwide, in the release. “One of our drivers avoided what could have been a really bad accident when a truck made an illegal U-turn right in front of him. Motive Positive Driving gave us instant visibility into his quick thinking, and we were able to praise him for his defensive driving.”

Another benefit goes beyond recognition to rewards. Fleets are now using safety scoreboards and adding employee incentives, which can range from gift cards and safety bonuses to company merch, depending on the company.

An inside look at the Thomas Built school bus factory

(Photo: Thomas Wasson/FreightWaves)

During my travels this week, I had the opportunity to tour the Thomas Built school bus factory in High Point, North Carolina. I normally report on heavy-duty Class 8 trucking but could not pass up the chance to report on specialized heavy-duty vehicles. I also happen to share the first name Thomas with the company, but unfortunately no relation to the Thomas family who built the company.

The school bus market is an interesting one. School districts have two budgets, one for things like teacher wages and another for capital expenditures like buildings or, in this case, school buses. Unlike a large trucking fleet that trades in its tractors in three- to four-year intervals, school buses last much longer, between 10 to 15 years.

When touring the plant, I learned that it takes roughly a day and a half from start to finish to construct a school bus. Additionally, the color of the roof and hood matters depending on the climate. A white-colored roof is more favored by southern school districts, due to its ability to lower temperatures by up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit. For school districts up north in colder climates, they may use darker matte or black tops for the inverse, taking less time to heat up. Unfortunately for school-age kids, air conditioning remains a luxury, with many school district budgets constrained and focused on no-frills features.

Thomas Built Buses also showcased its electric school bus, which I was able to drive around the lot next to the plant. School buses are a great test case for EV capabilities, with the average mileage driven by a bus during a shift being less than 80 miles. Additionally, despite the smaller 250-kilowatt-hour battery, there are only two shifts needed, one to pick up kids and the other to drop them off. This allows for opportunity charging in between the rush.

An average school bus that is a Type C, the one with a long hood, can cost between $135,000 and $165,000. An EV bus can cost three times as much, but there are still incentives to help districts afford them.

Finally, there are three major bus brands in the U.S., and each has a different shade of yellow. Thomas uses 3M paint for its signature color. The color yellow, I was told, was not federally mandated but based on an agreement in the 1930s that the buses should be yellow.

Daimler Truck’s Capital Market Day early thoughts

(Photo: Thomas Wasson/FreightWaves)

I recently attended the Daimler Truck Capital Market Day held at the company’s plant in Cleveland, N.C. For those unaware, Daimler Truck, through Daimler Truck North America, is one of the major players in the North American Class 8 space, with an estimated 42% market share in 2024 according to the company.

Despite the inconsistent demand for Class 8 trucks, the Class 8 vocational space is viewed as a key area for growth. Class 8 vocational trucks are often seen at construction sites and can range from dump trucks to water tankers and primarily haul materials around job sites.

The plant itself in Cleveland was impressive. A Class 8 can be built from start to finish in around eight hours, with a completed truck rolling off the 1.2 million-square-foot facility’s production line every five minutes. The specific location produces both regular Class 8 and vocational configurations.

For Daimler, vocational trucks are a good growth play—the market is more stable, with more brand loyalty, and there are tons of combinations. When I say tons, I test-drove a Western Star dump truck that could be spec’d to over 6,000 possible combinations. Through the revamped Western Star brand, relaunched in 2020, DTNA’s vocational market penetration increased to 24%, with a 2030 goal to increase to over 35%.

Electric trucks and autonomous vehicles were also mentioned, with Europe becoming the primary focus for EV truck sales due to a more favorable regulatory and incentive environment. Daimler Truck executives noted the current U.S. regulatory rollbacks toward EVs are a headwind.

Autonomous trucks are viewed as another growth play for the company, with an estimated total cost of ownership (TCO) savings of between 15% and 20% if including everything like driver wages. Torc Robotics is Daimler’s provider for the virtual driver, and there is an opportunity for redundant chassis in North America—same chassis but additional sensors and backup systems for braking, power and computing.

Keep an eye out for a full article in the coming days as I dig through notes and transcripts.

SONAR spotlight: Spot rates plateau following Fourth of July

(Source: SONAR)

Summary: Spot market rates saw growth but have plateaued following the Fourth of July according to recent data from the SONAR National Truckload Index 7-Day Average. NTI dry van spot rates rose 6 cents per mile all-in during the past week from $2.33 per mile on June 30 to $2.39 per mile.

Since July 5, NTI has remained flat at $2.39 per mile. Looking ahead over the next 6 months, NTI spot rates are projected to decline before settling between $2.25 to $2.27 per mile before taking another seasonal uptick beginning in November before peaking around $2.38 per mile around Christmas, the traditional peak season for trucking.

The NTI forecast is part of a newly released SONAR feature using a seasonally adjusted moving average (SAMA). The SAMA feature pulls from 2 years of seasonal data to create a forecast for any SONAR chart, according to FreightWaves CEO and founder Craig Fuller in a post on the X platform.

On the contract front, dry van outbound tender rejection rates have fallen 60 basis points w/w from 7.61% on June 30 to 7.01%. Despite the declines, VOTRI remains in a more favorable position compared to the past two years, where van outbound tender rejection rates were at 6.34% in 2024 and 2.81% in 2023.

Looking ahead, conditions continue to improve in the contract space based on favorable y/y comps and seasonal upticks in dry van outbound tender rejection rates. On the spot market, overcapacity remains due to an excess of small fleets and owner operators, who are pushing down rates.

Macroeconomic uncertainty and tariff related concerns persist, clouding the outlook for truckload demand. Absent a sustained demand surge, truckload capacity continues to be a headwind to improvements in dry van truckload rates.

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Webinar In partnership with PCS Software

Retention Reimagined: How to Support a Loyal Driving Workforce

Driver turnover is costly, but it doesn’t have to be inevitable. Join FreightWaves and PCS Software for an hour-long webinar on Tuesday, July 15th at 2 p.m. ET, featuring Jason Douglas, VP of Operations at James H Clark, and Lora Hillebrand, Sr. Director of Customer Success at PCS. Sign up here.

Routing Guide: Links from around the web

Earlier TQL victory on broker liability overturned by Sixth Circuit; SCOTUS next? (FreightWaves)

ServiceUp raises $55M to simplify fleet vehicle repairs (FreightWaves)

Chicken processor fleet wants to use HOS ag exemption (Commercial Carrier Journal)

North American freight markets marked by uncertainty, curtailing decision-making (The Trucker)

Congress approves bill unleashing major tax breaks for trucking (FreightWaves)

When to shift from a heavy-duty rig to a medium-duty truck (Fleet Owner)

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