I’m getting excited for the start of Run on Less – Messy Middle on September 8. I think what excites me the most is all the data we will collect on the trucks as they run their regular routes.
Navigating the messy middle of trucking technology
I think that when we combine this data with what we learned from the Bootcamp series and what we heard during the 105 interviews we conducted at the site visits this summer, we will all have a much clearer picture of the realities of operating vehicles on various types of fuel.
Things change so quickly when it comes to new technology that it’s possible that a powertrain solution you rejected a few years ago may be at a point in its development that it actually makes sense for your fleet now.
I think it is human nature that once you commit to a solution, you no longer keep up with developments on other potential solutions.
However, given the pace of change in trucking technology, thinking that the choice you made today will continue to be the best choice five years from now—or even two years from now—is shortsighted.
Not to brag, but I think NACFE was spot on when we decided to focus this Run on the Messy Middle. I want to borrow from our white paper, Navigating The Messy Middle: The Move To More Sustainable Trucking. In this paper, we spent time breaking down the term Messy Middle. We said, “Having a middle implies that there was a beginning, and there will be an end. The beginning for trucking has been the last nearly 100 years, when diesel was the dominant fuel source, with some smaller trucks powered by gasoline.”
See also: Carriers across the industry join NACFE's 'Messy Middle' Run
Here in the middle, fleets have a range of powertrain solutions to choose from, but we are heading to a future—the end—which we believe will be dominated by zero-emissions powertrain solutions.
Now on to messy. As we stated in the paper, “For something to be messy, there needs to be a lot of stuff.” And no one can argue that today, trucking is dealing with a lot of stuff. We’re actually lucky that things are messy because the mess includes many options for fleets. We should all thank everyone who is bringing these solutions to our industry so it can operate in a more sustainable manner.
Having options is a good thing because it allows us to choose what is best for our particular situation. But we need to be careful that we don’t fall in love with one solution to the exclusion of other options, especially because technological developments in the other options are happening every day.
Reevaluate powertrain choices for a sustainable future
I hope everyone in the trucking industry will take time to check out the profiles of the 13 fleets participating in this year’s Run, watch the videos that accompany the profiles, revisit the recordings of the Bootcamp sessions, and follow the metrics from the Run. Once you’ve done that, I encourage you to reevaluate your current and future powertrain choices to see if what you are doing still makes sense for today and to determine which powertrain solutions make sense for your fleet in the future.
You might be surprised to find that a technology you rejected two years ago might be the perfect solution for you today or in the near-term future. Or the data and information from the Run may confirm that you made the right choice and are on the right path for the future. Wouldn’t it be nice to have that confirmed?
