CASE STUDY 9: Taking the Pulse of Trucking also allow a driver to select a steering "feel" from light to heavy, depending the preference But to Ralph Schatz, the fleet-manager for Kimberly-Clark, which is the largest user of these devices, they have been a blessing. He said that fuel economy with new devices, which became available to the fleet in July, has gone from an average of 5.99 miles a gallon to 7.1. He calculated that for each tenth of a mile per gallon the company saved 85,000 a year in fuel costs. "You just can't get on the road and run a truck anymore," Kenny Benoit, a driver for 18 years, said as he finished his run at the terminal of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation in New Milford, Connecticut. Mr. Benoit's truck, like all 50 new tractors leased from Ryder System Inc., is equipped with electronic devices that monitor the driver. An electronic engine control system by TRW Inc. sets the top speed of 58 miles per hour and the minimum of 53, taking most control of cruising speed ot of the driver's hands. Another TRW system records a vast variety of details about each trip, from the number of revolutions per minute - an important measure of fuel economy - to the length of time the truck runs at a particular speed and the duration of the unloading period. Other possibilities for which the technology is in place include an engine protection system that could warn drivers to shut off the engine if it faced damage from a malfunction, a radar unit that could warn drivers if they are on a collision course with another vehicle or object, and a device that could warn drivers when they became drowsy. Jerry Weeks, president of the Kimberly-Clark subsidiary, estimated that a saving of one mile per gallon represents a cut of about 22 percent in fuel costs. Thus, the company, which has an annual fuel bill of $5 million, expects to offset quickly the cost of the devices - $1,400 per tractor. After the 1973 fuel crisis, truck manufacturers introduced modifications that brought down the maximum speed - to 60mph, from 70 or 75 - and thus improve fuel mileage. Most of the changes were mechanical, however. Now hundreds of trucking companies are testing and installing sophisticated electronic devices capable of controlling and monitoring the driver much more closely. And they report savings well into the millions of dollars. At Kimberly-Clark, the recording device has not yet been used to comfort drivers whose habits may interfere with top fuel efficiency. But the company is using the information on when a truck stops and backs into a customer's loading dock as a means of charging customers who delay a driver. It has been able to collect a fee of $25 an hour for delays. Customer cannot challenge the tamper-proof recorders. Kaspar Tucci, director of United States operations for the subsidiary, said, while they would often challenge the drive's logs. All these devices, Mr. Jones said, could someday be tied into one system that could feed information continuously to a computer monitored by the fleet manager. The manager could correct inefficiencies, record road speeds, idle times, and fuel consumption, and monitor other data to improve efficiency. However, he added, the costs of such systems, which derive from aerospace technology, may delay their introduction into the trucking industry by five to ten years. Questions: 1. Why has the trucking industry found it profitable to install computerized controls in its vehicles? Besides TRW, the other major developers and manufacturers of electronic devices for trucking are Engler Instruments, Rockwell International Automotive Electronics, and Argo Instruments. Many are developing still more sophisticated devices. Other companies have used the computer printouts to confront their drivers with errant driving patterns. Al Bodo, transportation manager of Royal Foods Distributors in Woodbridge, NJ, one of the Fleming Companies, said the company 2. If you were a truck driver, how would you feel about such devices? Would they make the job more, or less, attractive? had set up performance parameters for drivers. After a trip, each of the company's 105 drivers brings in his cartridge, which provides a quick readout on such information as how long he idled and whether he was speeding or going over the revolutions-per-minute limit for each gear. 3. Do you think organizations should rely on self-monitoring by employees in situations like this one? In other types of situations? Why? "In the next three to five years there will be a lot of microcomputers put on the truck," said James R. Barr, environmental specialist at the American Trucking Association. The trend will probably be "to take more and more control away from the driver," he said. 4. As the manager of a trucking firm, how would you explain to your drivers why installation of devices to improve driver safety and comfort is lagging behind the use of devices to improve driver productivity? If a driver has far exceeded the limits, he is given counseling on his driving habits. If a driver still does not change, Mr. Bodo said, "we have taken disciplinary action." These may be warnings at first but can lead to a temporary suspension. Drivers, predictably, are unhappy with the new control. They complain that it is often impossible to overtake cars. And when they finish their trip, they must take the device out of the cab and into the driver check-in room, where it is plugged into a computer and prints out an electronic history of the trip. "It's like someone riding with you and writing down everything you did," Mr. Benoit said. The system has enabled Royal Foods to get a 6 percent increase in fuel economy, from 5.4 miles per gallon last year to 5.69 this year, he said. Trevor 0. Jones, vice-president and general manager of TRW's transportation electronics group, said that the company has plans for devices that could improve the driver's comfort and safety as well as efficiency. "It bores you to death," said Gus Moffie, a driver with the Kimberly-Clark Integrated Service Corporation, a subsidiary that runs the company's fleet of 200 trucks. Mr. Moftie said that "on long stretches of road you don't have a lot to do to keep your eyes open." He added, "The other problem is that when you get in delays you can't make up the time." The technology is already here for systems that could control the climate in the cab and adjust the seat to lessen shock and vibration. A power steering assist would