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Truck Makers Navigate Era of Rapid Change
Manufacturers Adapt to Uncertainty While Investing in Multiple Powertrains and Emerging Technologies
Key Takeaways:
- Truck and engine executives said at a May 4 ACT Expo 2026 panel in Las Vegas that rapid technological change and external shocks are reshaping a historically cyclical commercial vehicle industry.
- Panelists said manufacturers are balancing diesel investments with electrification, connectivity and AI as uncertainty from emissions rules, geopolitics and trade policies accelerates change.
- Executives said fleets will see growing benefits from connected safety systems, diverse powertrains and eventual autonomous vehicles, with adoption spreading gradually across long equipment life cycles.
LAS VEGAS — Heavy-duty truck and engine manufacturers have long been accustomed to the ups and downs of the highly cyclical commercial vehicle market, but in recent years they’ve also been contending with an elevated level of uncertainty and change.
While adapting to shifting emission regulations, equipment manufacturers are balancing investments in both their diesel engine platforms and emerging powertrains. They also are incorporating next-generation technologies into their vehicles and customer support networks.
The leaders of several North American truck makers and engine supplier Cummins outlined how they are juggling those imperatives during a May 4 panel discussion at ACT Expo 2026.
“What is maybe less normal and becoming the new normal is the speed of change,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “It goes a lot faster right now.”
He suggested that more has happened in the commercial vehicle business in the past seven years than in perhaps the prior 70 years.
“We’ve been focusing on diesel engines for 100 years. Now, all of the sudden we’re spreading into different technologies and doing that all at the same time,” Voorhoeve said.
At the macro level, the COVID pandemic, geopolitical conflicts and rapidly shifting international trade policies also have driven business uncertainty in the trucking and equipment markets.
“I think it’s the stack-up of unknown that is causing us the problem,” said Brett Merritt, president of the engine business at Cummins. “We’ve long had certain aspects that are uncertain. Now everything is uncertain.”
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That might not change any time soon, in the view of some panelists.
“I think it is the new normal,” said Mathias Carlbaum, president and CEO of International Motors. “There’s always something big going on.”
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An International tractor equipped with PlusAI’s autonomous driving technology. (Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics)
Much of the panel conversation centered on the advance of connected vehicle technology, the rise of artificial intelligence and the journey toward software-defined vehicles.
Carlbaum characterized the emergence of connected and intelligent trucks as more of an ongoing evolution than a revolution.
“It hasn’t been a cliff event. This has been going on for a long time,” he said. “The vehicle just becomes an enabler for so much more when you add connectivity and AI to all of that.”
Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America, said advances in AI will improve not just the trucks themselves but also customer support networks.
“It’ll touch our dealerships, it will touch our processes for warranty … our inventory parts or where to have things staged,” he said. “It just allows us to move from being reactive to much more proactive in providing insights for our customers.”
Changes in truck technology necessitate changes in engine technology as well.
“As an engine provider in this space, we’ve long had to fit in the physical confines,” Cummins’ Merritt said. “Now you have to fit it in the electronic architecture and then provide the end user with a variety of benefits, whether it’s prognostics, whether it is diagnostics, and we’ve got to do that across this whole industry.”
He, too, predicted that connectivity will continue to deliver more benefits for end users in the coming years.
“I think we’ve only scratched the surface,” Merritt said.
From autonomous trucks to alternative fuels, there’s a wide range of commercial vehicle technologies on the show floor at @ACTExpo 2026. Here are a few highlights. #ACTExpo pic.twitter.com/wEisl21cIZ — Seth Clevenger (@SethClevenger) May 5, 2026
While late model trucks and engines are equipped with the latest connected vehicle capabilities, it will likely take many years for that technology to proliferate across the industry.
“I think it’s a long tail. We still sell parts from engines sold in the ’90s,” Merritt said. “However, what we do know is every engine going forward will have these capabilities.”
Volvo’s Voorhoeve said safety technology will continue to help improve the bottom line for fleet operators.
In addition to preventing the high-profile nuclear verdicts that are driving up insurance costs, safety systems could reduce non-injury crashes, which on average cost $46,000, he said.
“If you want to put some numbers to it, you can avoid three accidents in a year and that’s almost a free truck,” Voorhoeve said. “So there is a business case.”
Looking ahead, International’s Carlbaum said commercialized autonomous vehicles will be available in the coming years.
“Different propulsion technologies such as electrification will come back in play,” he added. “As every day passes, you see costs are coming down on batteries, and charging efficiency … is also stacking up.”
Cummins’ Merritt predicted that fleets will be running vehicles powered by a diverse array of fuels and powertrains in the years ahead to meet the demands of different applications and duty cycles.
“On the propulsion side, we would still say you need the power of choice,” he said. “You will need electrification. You’ll definitely need diesel in a big way. You’ll need natural gas, renewable natural gas, renewable diesel.”
