According to the recently released N.A. Commercial Vehicle On-Highway Engine OUTLOOK, published by ACT Research and Rhein Associates, partnerships and investments to support new powertrains for and lower carbon emissions from commercial vehicle fleets continue, as do the general industry trends from 2021.

When asked about commercial vehicle trends, Kenny Vieth, President and Senior Analyst at ACT Research, said, “Trucking costs increased in 2021 over 2020, and are expected to continue increasing in 2022, driven by driver wages, fuel costs, insurance premiums and repair costs.”

He added, “Last year ended with long backlogs of unfilled new truck orders, and the trend is expected to continue in 2022. Capacity will remain a challenge, and underlying vehicle replacement needs will not change, so fleets will need to plan accordingly when ordering.”

Andrew Wrobel, Senior Powertrain Analyst at Rhein Associates, said, “Partnerships and investments continue, regarding both technology development and infrastructure. One example is the recent announcement from the US Department of Energy for $35 million in funding of 12 projects to develop technologies to reduce methane emissions in the oil, gas and coal industries. No doubt this and other public-private and private-private efforts will translate to advanced technologies and reduced emissions from the CV industry, as well.”

When asked about natural gas vehicles, Wrobel said, “Demand for natural gas vehicles is currently driven by specific vocations. If regulations change to encourage well-to-wheel emission reduction, more adoption would be expected.”