Rolf Lockwood
Rolf Lockwood is editor emeritus of Today's Trucking and a regular contributor to Trucknews.com.
IN PICTURES: Rodéo Du Camion
NOTRE-DAME-DU-NORD, QC - The Rodeo du Camion remains a sweet, unmatched madness if you like hairy trucks and ferociously competitive racing. The 36th edition of the Rodeo took over the little town of Notre-Dame-du-Nord, Quebec for the last weekend of July, swelling the population 20 times over. With sunny Lake Temiskaming in the background, both bobtail and loaded trucks raced up a 12% grade in two days of elimination runs. They compete in three horsepower classes plus what's called the Free-for-All competition in which any spec' goes. As you might imagine, the wick is turned way up for those races.
Anything is possible
Where are we headed? Well, with enormous potential waiting to burst, we're in the midst of the second industrial revolution. It's all about the Internet of Things, meaning a network of physical things embedded with electronics and sensors and internet connectivity -- and crucially, the ability to exchange data. Put a savvy truck in the middle of that network and start thinking about what it could link up with.