# Keynote Case Study: Omnitracs — Connectivity Was Becoming the New Horsepower
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At Omnitracs Outlook 2017 in Phoenix, I spoke to several hundred trucking and logistics executives about an industry moving far faster than many people realized. The trucking industry is often imagined as mechanical. The future was becoming digital. A modern truck already generated enormous amounts of diagnostic, logistics and connectivity data. Its cabin increasingly looked more like an aircraft cockpit. Fleet-management offices increasingly resembled air-traffic-control centers. And the industry was moving toward a future of autonomous vehicles, predictive diagnostics, connected infrastructure and data-driven operations. The message I had used previously with Volvo/Mack Trucks applied perfectly: Connectivity is the new horsepower. The keynote, “The Disruption of Transportation,” explored the era of big transformation underway in transportation. Autonomous trucks were moving from experiment toward operational reality. Bio-connected driver monitoring could track physiological data and improve safety. Predictive maintenance systems increasingly knew when a component was likely to fail before the failure occurred. The Internet of Things was turning the truck into a constantly connected technology platform. And the business model itself was beginning to shift from selling hardware toward delivering uptime and performance. Six themes captured the transition: Autonomous Trucking. Automation would steadily transform long-haul logistics, fleet economics and the role of the driver. Connected Fleet Intelligence. Trucks increasingly operate as rolling data centers, producing real-time insight into location, condition and performance. Predictive Maintenance. Diagnostic systems can identify likely failures earlier, reducing downtime and operating cost. Bio-Connected Safety. Wearables and embedded sensors create new opportunities to monitor driver health, fatigue and risk. Service-Based Business Models. Manufacturers and technology providers increasingly compete on uptime, reliability and outcomes rather than hardware alone. Skills Intensification. Trucking becomes more software-driven, creating demand for new technical, analytical and digital capabilities. The industry press picked up on one of the keynote’s most important observations: Technology was beginning to arrive at market almost obsolete. That is what happens when innovation cycles compress. A product that takes years to design can enter a market that has already moved. That reality places enormous pressure on manufacturers, fleets and technology providers to become faster at learning. The traditional image of the trucking industry was becoming obsolete too. This was no longer simply a world of engines, tires and highways. It was a world of code, sensors, analytics, connectivity and intelligent systems. Even the workplace was changing. Operations teams were tracking fleets on large digital displays. IT departments were growing. Young technical talent was entering the industry. Software capability was becoming central to competitive performance. My advice to the Omnitracs audience was the same framework I use with organizations facing rapid disruption: Think big. Start small. Scale fast. You do not need to perfectly predict which technology will win. You need enough experience with emerging technology that you are ready when it does. The future of trucking would not be defined only by who builds the strongest machine. It would be defined by who builds the smartest, most connected transportation ecosystem around it.

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Source: https://jimcarroll.com/2017/03/keynote-case-study-omnitracs-connectivity-was-becoming-the-new-horsepower/