GREENSBORO, N.C. – Volvo Trucks’ remote programming services allow drivers and decision-makers 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 percent,” said Ash Makki, Volvo Trucks North America product marketing manager. “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 will still be available through Volvo Trucks’ Uptime Center in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“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, Volvo Trucks North America director of commercial telematics solutions.
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, idle shutdown time, etc. 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 U.S. and reset those parameters when the truck crosses back over the border. And for fleets, all trucks can now be batch-updated at one time using the driver display activation without having to contact the Volvo Trucks’ Uptime Center for each 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.
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