In recent years, Ashley Furniture Industries has been expanding its own private trucking fleet — both organic­ally and through acquisition — to further bolster its supply chain.

As adoption of electric-powered commercial vehicles grows, component manufacturers are looking more closely at offering services and devices to attract more fleet buyers.

While all-electric transport refrigeration units might seem a relatively new development in the refrigerated transportation segment, the technology has developed over the last 20-plus years.

With 313,000 truck parking spaces existing nationwide, according to a recent survey conducted by the Federal Highway Administration, American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association estimate there is one parking spot for every 11 drivers.

New developments in fleet monitoring and telecommunications during the past few decades have significantly altered how fleets track and manage their drivers and mobile assets.

Economists and industry experts widely believe supply chain disruptions will continue to greatly impact the transportation industry for the first half of the year, and possibly into 2023.

As a series of extreme heat waves settled over large swaths of the country this summer, professional truck drivers were at times exposed to temperatures well over 100 degrees as they worked to deliver the nation’s freight.

Fleets looking to order new box trailers this fall — particularly dry van or refrigerated units — may be in for some sticker shock and a long wait.

Trucking technology supplier E-Smart, which offers capabilities such as adaptive speed control and load-based power management, also is pursuing opportunities to connect truck and trailer data.

Digital trailer-sharing company vHub has been expanding its collaborative marketplace since introducing the service in the United States earlier this year.