Mack and Volvo have greatly increased the number of updates fleet owners can complete over the air.

They’ve been offering over-the-air (OTA) updates since 2018, but initially only focusing on the three ECUs covering the engine, aftertreatment system and transmission. Now, updates can be done remotely on an additional three ECUs: the instrument cluster; vehicle ECU; and body builder module.

Fleets can update things such as fuel economy packages and idle shutdown times without having to visit the shop. Updates can be initiated by the driver. Stu Russoli, senior highway product manager with Mack Trucks said at the Technology & Maintenance Council’s spring meeting that operators now get “coverage of the whole truck versus just the three ECUs” that were initially updatable by OTA.

Duane Tegels, powertrain product marketing manager with Volvo Trucks North America, said the update means there are now more than 30 programmable parameters that can be set remotely. All that’s needed for the quick updates is cellular service.

Volvo says it has done more than 40,000 software updates and 8,400 remote parameter updates so far.

“Having to bring a truck into a dealership or repair center to manage vehicle software updates can put fleets behind schedule, or risk that updates are not done when necessary, in order to prioritize transportation assignments,” Johan Agebrand, director – product marketing, Volvo Trucks North America, said in a release.

“By doubling the remote programming software updates offered from three to six modules, drivers can conduct even more updates during their breaks or while waiting to load, optimizing their trucks efficiency and productivity and continue to meet their promise to arrive at their destination as planned.”