Podcast: How Peterbilt is juggling new vehicle platforms, waiting on the freight recession
'Uncertainty' has been the word of the year for 2025, but here's how Peterbilt has continued to serve its vocational market, navigate alternative powertrains, and (hopefully) prepare for the eventual end of the freight recession.
Peterbilt bolstered its truck and tractor lineup in 2025, but just like every other industry stakeholder, it is waiting to see how the market shifts on alternative powertrains, such as electric vehicles and natural gas engines, while also looking toward the end of the freight recession. To drill down on how fleets can manage their business needs while still operating in plenty of unknowns, Jake White, director of product marketing for Peterbilt, sat down to discuss the company's Model 579 and 579EV and how its customers are responding to the various powertrains available to them.
Listen to the interview on this week's episode of The Fleet Lead podcast below or search for The Fleet Lead on your favorite podcast app.
Timestamps:
1:05 - Peterbilt's show trucks and lineup
3:41 - Peterbilt's vocational business
4:58 - Customer sentiment on EVs and natural gas
5:61 - Advice for fleets for when the freight recession ends
Editor-in-Chief Josh Fisher has been with FleetOwner since 2017. He covers everything from modern fleet management to operational efficiency, artificial intelligence, autonomous trucking, alternative fuels and powertrains, regulations, and emerging transportation technology. Based in Maryland, he writes the Lane Shift Ahead column about the changing North American transportation landscape.
