The panel on future technology consisted of, from left, Jack Roberts, truck equipment editor for CCJ, Overdrive and Truckers News, Jeff Jones of Cummins, Craig Bennett of Utility Trailer and Ben Smith of Freightliner.

Equipment 10 years from now will be much more fuel efficient, thanks to technologies coming into acceptance and others yet to be introduced, executives said Aug. 26.

The forecasts were made at the “SuperSession: Tomorrow’s trucks and trailers,” sponsored by Shell Lubricants at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas.

Cummins will focus on fuel efficiency and CO2 reduction, said Jeff Jones, vice president of sales and marketing. New regulations in this area are expected “in the very near future” from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he said, which have agreed to work jointly on the project.

Cummins also expects improvements in waste heat recovery, which Jones said is the “most promising” area for over-the-road applications. A little more than 40 percent of diesel’s energy is used in moving the truck, while the rest is lost through exhaust and cooling.

“We all need to work together for fair standards that promote the right technologies,” he said.

Freightliner is working on several areas to improve trucks, said Benjamin Smith, manager of product strategy for Freightliner Trucks. For example, predictive technology is showing good results by using GPS to read topography a mile ahead and then adjusting cruise control and cooling systems.

“The truck is smart enough to know not to gun it going uphill,” he said. The goals are to take unnecessary loads off the engine and save fuel.