Five truck trend takeaways from December

Five truck trend takeaways from December

Welcome to 2022! It’s a weird number to say. Sounds like the future, but I’m not sure this is the future we were promised. Or is it? The best way to find out is to take stock of the biggest trucking headlines that hit our site last month and get an idea of what’s ahead. We don’t expect you the comb through our archives (that’s our job). So here’s what you may have missed or might want to revisit as you take stock of what’s to come this year.

5. Holy hydrogen developments!

Could hydrogen be the electrification story of 2022? Battery electric took off last year, making decent inroads in niche applications where the technology makes sense. It’s a solid foundation to grow, but long-haul has been eyeing hydrogen. So here are two hot takes on hydrogen. The first is from Hyzon Motors CEO and the second is from your trusted FE talking heads.

4. The best of ‘best of’ lists!

Everyone loves a list. Seriously, have you been on the Internet in the past two weeks? There was a “best of” list for everything. And here at Fleet Equipment, we were no different. (Editor’s note: You’re reading a list right now!)

Click here to look through all of our “Best of 2021” posts.

3. The On The Road gift that keeps on giving

I don’t use the word “auteur” lightly. You might ask why I use the word at all because who says “auteur”? But it’s appropriate when it comes to Senior Editor David Sickels’s work on On the Road, and his December holiday-themed always deliver both the fun and information we need to make it through the holiday season. It was hard to pick just one of his December On the Road videos to highlight year from this year, but I went with my gut:

I also went way back to last year’s holiday videos to resurrect this gem. (Yes, it’s a Christmas movie.)

Hilarious, and informative.

2. FE’s Data Center delivers a shocking season conclusion

It’s all led to this: The season finale of FE Data Center. Does Shop Jason finally harness all the power of truck data to improve his shop’s throughput? Does Data Jason survive his integration with the truck service artificial intelligence? Find out the answers to those questions, and hear some insight about the best practices for recruiting and retaining top technicians in this episode of FE Data Center:

1. And the winner is…

Announcing our Truck Equipment Trend of the Year is one of my favorite annual stories we write. Throughout the year, us FE editors make our best prediction on what the trend will be. The coolest part is that the answer always bubbles to the surface. The topic percolates all year, commanding headlines month after month. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, the answer is clear. And the same was true this year. Check out the trend that we crowned this year below. Any bets on what 2022 will bring?

You May Also Like

Inside the most secret building at Volvo Trucks

What’s no secret is the importance of trucking safety, and Volvo’s goal to reduce accidents across the globe.

Volvo-Trucks-Global-Safety

Black curtains surround the room that's segmented by rolling privacy screens, blocking off the business end of a European Volvo truck (is it an FH? An electric? It's hard to tell.) This is the only area trucking journalists from North America are allowed in. The rest of the building, named Lundby, high-tech center for research and development at Volvo Trucks headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, is off-limits. Even several of the Gothenburg-based Volvo Trucks employees that are presenting haven't been allowed in this building before. But what we're here to talk about is anything but a secret.

PrePass comes to four new states, adds 116 sites

With this expansion, the PrePass Safety Alliance says fleets with the PrePass app now have 20 percent more bypass sites nationwide.

PrePass-logo-large
XL Specialized Trailers launches Knight MFG trailer

The Knight, a 48-ft.-long detachable gooseneck lowboy with an overall capacity of 80,000 lbs., is now available form XL dealers.

XL-Specialized-Trailers-Knight
How fleet management tools can help increase fuel efficiency

From fleet cards to EVs and data, all work together to help save on costs.

generic-fuel-efficiency-fleet
Orders open for new Volvo VNL

Production will start later this summer, and Volvo expects customer deliveries to begin later this year.

Volvo-VA-facility-VNL-order-books-open

Other Posts

The trucking life of the internal combustion engine going forward

A glimpse into the fossil-free future of truck engines that run on everything from biodiesel to natural gas to hydrogen.

volvo-fuel-cell-1400
Fleet Profile: PepsiCo drives toward net-zero emissions by 2040

Here are the variety of approaches and successfully reducing the carbon footprint of its fleet and distribution operations

Frito-Lay-PepsiCo-Tesla-and-CNG-Tractors
Reducing refrigeration emissions through diesel particulate filters

Rypos says active DPFs come with an initial cost, but will bring your fleet savings in the long run, while combating climate change.

Refrigerated-emissions
Scania expands BEV truck offerings

Calling it the “9-litre engine equivalent” to a diesel truck, Scania believes its new EM C1-2 will benefit construction-oriented operations.

Scania-expands-BEV-offerings-EM-C1-2