Volvo Trucks is rolling out a new version of its Remote Programming services called Driver Display Activation.
The company said the service allows drivers to update software and parameters at any time, from anywhere they have cellular service. Remote Programming Driver Display Activation is expected to hit the market in late 2020.
Volvo Trucks’ Remote Programming services allow drivers and decisionmakers to update parameters and software that enhance the performance of a truck’s engine, transmission and aftertreatment. With the new Driver Display Activation, when parameters or software updates are available, an icon will flash on the instrument cluster screen. At the next planned stop, the driver can activate the update via the truck’s instrument cluster and be back on the road again within minutes.
“With the introduction of Volvo Trucks’ new Driver Display Activation, the process time for software and parameter updates has been improved by an average of 50%,” said Ash Makki, product marketing manager at Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA). “Now, from customer initiation to completion, an update can be done in less time than a driver typically takes for a break or fill up.”
This new service means that instead of scheduling an appointment to complete uploads, drivers can completely upgrade the software and parameters on their own, from anywhere, without the need for personal assistance from a Volvo Action Services team member.
However, agent assistance still will be available through Volvo Trucks’ Uptime Center in Greensboro NC. “We still have agents who follow the success of each update,” Makki said. “We believe in having real people behind our technology 24/7.”
Software updates are critical to maximize vehicle performance and uptime. “There’s a direct connection between keeping a truck updated with the latest software and reducing fault codes, in addition to the truck running more efficiently, improving the environmental footprint and reducing operational costs,” said Conal Deedy, VTNA’s director of commercial telematics solutions. “There’s a lot of value in each update and the convenience of Driver Display Activation will allow these updates to be done with minimal disruption to operations.”
In addition to system updates, the new Driver Display Activation allows drivers and fleets to change parameters on the truck to alter the vehicle’s performance. Parameters for various applications can be customized and packaged in kits that can set maximum road speed, cruise speed limit, shift patterns and idle shutdown time. This ensures the truck is optimally configured for the environment in which it is operating.
For instance, a driver or fleet owner with trucks that regularly travel into Ontario, Canada might want to reconfigure speed settings when leaving the US, and reset those parameters when the truck crosses back over the border. Another kit might make adjustments to gear shifting if a tanker load is changed from dry goods to liquids, to compensate for the different shifting characteristics due to the loads. Volvo Trucks’ Driver Display Activation allows these changes to be made in minutes, remotely, at any time of day. And for fleets, all trucks now can be batch-updated at one time using the Driver Display Activation without having to contact the Volvo Trucks’ Uptime Center for each and every truck in the fleet affected by the update.
The new Driver Display Activation will use a factory-installed telematics gateway, leveraging existing Volvo Trucks technology. No extra hardware is required. Every new Volvo-powered truck will have Driver Display Activation available free of charge for the first two years, bundled with Volvo Trucks’ Remote Diagnostics services.