What the Shell Starship Initiative means for trucking companies
Far from legislative impacts, we’re seeing new innovations in our industry that are surely paving the way for the future of trucking. The Shell Starship is one such innovation that includes significant improvements in:
Knowing this, Shell Rotella set out with a mission to jointly design, test and build an ultra-energy-efficient concept truck using only advanced technologies available today. The Shell Starship Initiative is a collaboration between Shell Lubricants and Airflow Truck Company, and designed to explore the future of what’s possible in truck design, fuel economy savings and CO2 reduction.
The long-awaited Shell Starship debuted in March 2018, and features a custom, aerodynamic design that seeks to demonstrate improvements in fuel economy for class eight trucks while lowering CO2 emissions. The Starship will run cross-country as it seeks to demonstrate improvements in fuel economy for class eight trucks versus existing on-highway trucks. Shell’s Starship also maximizes freight ton efficiency by emphasizing a lightweight, aerodynamic design, reducing rolling resistance.
According to Shell, The Starship Initiative will be optimized for maximum lubricant-driven fuel economy using top-tier, low viscosity synthetic Shell lubricants products. The company says it isn’t aiming for specific number goals and is treating the Starship initiative as “thought leadership on wheels.”
What does all of this mean for trucking companies? As the industry evolves, disruptors will continue to impact us –from federally mandated regulations like the ELD rule, to additional safety mandates like the Underride Act. Trucking has been around (in some form or another) since the birth of the internal combustion engine – and through that time, we’ve continued to remake ourselves to state relevant. There’s no doubt, we’re here for the long haul. But to stay in the race, we have to promote and embrace change, where change is due. It’s clear that driver shortages are our new normal. Reversing the mass exodus of older drivers and the low input of younger drivers will take a lot of work over many years. Millennials, women, minorities, and the up-and-coming Generation Z won’t respond to the same recruiting messages and tactics, or the same compensation and benefits packages, that have worked in the past. As an industry, we have to adjust our employment model to attract an emerging demographic, and reconsider what a driver looks like.
The future of trucking is here – and we are too. AMG Driver recruitment is a new kind of driver recruitment company. Forward-thinking companies can keep their competitive edge by staying abreast of trending technologies like Shell’s Starship Initiative. Recruiters too have an opportunity to become smarter, more selective and more aggressive with driver recruitment. Tech-oriented recruiting tactics, like a direct lead system, will ensure that recruiters can find the drivers they want, by meeting them where they are.
Download the whitepaper 2018 Roadblocks: What’s Ahead for the Trucking Industry for more information.