Some companies are embracing daycabs and hotel stays for drivers, rather than sleeper cabs. Benefits include safety and better sleep.

With shippers and receivers demanding tighter delivery windows, trucking companies are utilizing a range of technologies to more accurately predict when drivers will ­arrive at destinations.

Cents per mile remains the dominant form of pay in the for-hire truckload sector, but its dominance is not as strong as it once was as fleets embrace alternative pay models that take cyclicality out of driver pay. Fleets that have implemented new payment methods said drivers appreciate the steady income.

Equipment and component manufacturers in the trucking industry are looking to expand their online presence and also see potential in 3D printing, both of which could help them reach more customers, they said.

A growing economy and strong new truck sales have increased demand for aftermarket parts, creating supply chal­lenges. Truck manufacturers and component ­suppliers said they’re working to alleviate pressure on the industry by expanding offerings, ­improving distribution channels and using predictive forecasting tools to get ahead of demand.

For online retailers, one of the challenges with the reverse logistics process is knowing what to do once items are returned. Some products could be returned to a finished goods warehouse whereas defective ones could go to a location to refurbish or recycle the product.

As the continued rise of e-commerce increases the number of product returns, retailers and shippers are working to ease the returns process to boost customer satisfaction. They’re doing so by turning to logistics providers for technology and services that can optimize their reverse logistics networks and keep costs low.

Distracted and drowsy driving creates risk for drivers as well as fleets, but various forms of technology can alert drivers to these hazards and enable fleets to tailor training to prevent future events.

Fires in tractor-trailers, often referred to as thermal events, can result in significant damage to equipment as well as cargo, but despite an ongoing focus on preventing them, the number of incidents doesn’t appear to be dropping.