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LAS VEGAS — Advancements in trucking technology are paving the way for the industry to experience two-vehicle platoons soon, but the driverless heavy-duty trucks idea remains a distant vision, according to executives from leading firms in both industries.

LAS VEGAS — While driverless, heavy-duty trucks are being considered by accomplished people in technology development, that vision is decades away from reality. But what is coming soon are two-truck platoons, panelists here said.

LAS VEGAS — The American Transportation Research Institute released its annual top 10 list of critical issues affecting the trucking industry on Oct. 3 at the Management Conference & Exhibition. It also announced a new app with the National Association of Truck Stop Owners to address one of those issues: parking.

Continental announced Oct. 4 that it has reached a deal to acquire a majority stake in technology provider Zonar.

In a closely guarded experiment involving the future of transportation, Project Wing — a division of X, founded by Google and now a child of Alphabet Inc. — is air-dropping fast food onto the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

LOS ANGELES — Trucking paid for Scott Spindola to take a road trip down the coast of Spain, climb halfway up Machu Picchu and sample a Costa Rican beach for two weeks.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The top executives at Trimble Navigation Ltd., which owns several of trucking’s largest technology suppliers, said they see opportunities to harness an explosion of data from electronic logging devices and connected vehicles in the years ahead and also are eyeing a potential role in the movement toward automated driving.

Drone technology is evolving so rapidly that companies such as UPS Inc., FedEx Corp. and Amazon.com could be using them within five years, according to industry watchers.

LAS VEGAS — Rand McNally introduced a new electronic logging and fleet-management device with cellular connectivity that it said was designed to meet the budgets and compliance requirements of small- and medium-size fleets looking to leverage existing Android devices.