Roeth: You can make the industry better—get involved

Recently, I served as a merit reviewer for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Transportation Technologies Office. This is the new name for what used to be called the Vehicle Technologies Office. For many years, other NACFE staff and I evaluated projects that were funded under this program.

This time, there were perhaps eight breakout rooms in which people gave 15- to 30-minute presentations about trucking-related projects they are working on. These are some really smart people working on some really cool stuff, but the purpose of these reviews is to ground their research in the real world. I reviewed projects about hybrid strategies, electric motors, electric infrastructure, traffic management, and more.

Research is great, and we need it. But applied research that isn’t practical or applicable doesn’t help anyone in the industry. The best research is the kind that advances technologies that make trucking better. Think SuperTrucks. Many of the technologies implemented in the SuperTrucks program found their way into actual truck production and made trucking more efficient. To me, that is the perfect combination of researchers and industry working together.

In the past, the reviewers were a mix of government and lab people as well as industry folks. This time, however, things seem skewed in favor of government people. I don’t know how the switch happened, and I am not saying government people can’t contribute to the conversation, but industry people provide a different perspective.

We can ask questions about how the technology will work in real hauling applications and provide insights on the applicability of the technologies being studied. I felt lonely at this event—the only fleet presence I saw in attendances was Taki Darakus of Pitt Ohio.

It is unrealistic and unfair of the trucking industry to expect researchers to get it 100% right if we don’t step up and provide input. I understand that it is difficult to carve out time for things like this, the DOE review, and that there are expenses involved in traveling to the event. But I think we, as an industry, need to step up and find a way to participate in reviews like this. It is one way to make sure our voice is heard and considered in technological developments.

I see this as part of our stewardship to the industry. Rather than criticizing what researchers are working on, we all need to make sure we ask the hard questions about how the things they are researching are going to work in the real world.

Get involved in these review opportunities. You don’t have to be in the industry for 40 years—we need all kinds of voices and perspectives to make sure new technologies get vetted for real-world applicability.

I encourage you to seek out opportunities like this, and if you’re not sure where to find them, contact me, and I can offer some suggestions. I look forward to seeing you at the next DOE merit review session.