I promise this is the last IdeaXchange in which I reflect on ACT Expo 2025, but I have one more key takeaway to share with you. There were several fleet representatives that I spoke with during the show, and I was somewhat surprised by the number of them who said they wished that truck makers would just—and I am paraphrasing here—pick the technologies and start the process of mass-producing trucks with those alternative powertrains.
They feel that a lack of serial production prevents some technologies from gaining traction. Not everyone is keen on being part of beta testing a new product. These fleet reps also told me that they know their businesses inside and out, but they need the OEMs to help them determine which products are best suited for the different applications in which they operate—and then to get on with using them.
Rick Mihelic, NACFE’s director of emerging technologies, has suggested that there may need to be a fundamental shift on the part of truck makers. He posits that rather than being able to offer every powertrain alternative to fleets, OEMs should consider picking and choosing the ones they can excel at. This might mean not participating in some of the Class 8 market segments that they have in the past with the very flexible diesel-fueled trucks.
See also: Roeth: A starting point for powertrain selection
The truck market is not all that big to start with. When you start segmenting the market by powertrain solution, the slice for each powertrain is even smaller. Is it going to make sense for a truck maker to tool up a factory to produce a few thousand trucks with, say, an RNG engine, and also produce just a few thousand battery-electric vehicles? Would they be better off putting all their eggs in one basket, so to speak, and dominating in one market segment rather than having a tiny slice of three or four segments of the market?
I can’t help but wonder if we would see bigger improvements, including increased range, lower weight, and lower cost, if OEMs chose to become specialists in some instead of generalists in all.
I can’t tell OEMs how to spend their research and development dollars, or to decide which offerings to bring to serial production, but it seems to me that focusing on a variety of solutions will result in none of the solutions being adequately funded.
I know what I am suggesting is a significant change from the current business, and that choosing not to compete in segments is a considerable risk. But the fact is that we are asking fleets to make significant changes to the way they do business and to take steps to move freight in a cleaner, more sustainable manner. Maybe the OEMs need to consider something different, too. See where their strengths are and choose the best path for them and their loyal customers.
