Truck Talk

Truck Talk: Hydrogen rising edition

This week we explore evidence that may soon demand a verdict on hydrogen as a transportation fuel, plus highlights from companies doing what they can to get on the right side of the business viability that Lordstown Motors said may elude the electric pickup truck startup. 

Time to get serious

Evidence is mounting that hydrogen as a transportation fuel is for real. From the Department of Energy to industry leaders in automotive, trucking and even oil, the picture is brightening for the future of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-talk-hydrogen-rising-edition

Truck Talk: Making the case edition

This week, we’re looking at the meaning of electric trucks delivering groceries, autonomous trucks delivering watermelons and other “firsts” trying to make the case for advanced transportation technologies. And a sort of contrarian view on both.

Proving their mettle

Individually, claims of being first don’t always add up to being newsworthy. But taking a step back to consider the “points on the board” being scored by startup autonomous and electric truck companies may tell a different story.

Consid...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-talk-making-the-case-edition

Truck Talk: Electrical storm edition

This week, we chase storm clouds gathering for electric pickup trucks not wearing a Ford blue oval, speculate on who a big customer at Plus might be and review how Daimler Truck is setting the stage for its independence.

Storm clouds for electric pickups

Now that Ford Motor Co.(NYSE: F) has revealed the F150 Lightning electric truck, it is — or should be — panic time for startups eyeing the battery-powered commercial pickup segment.

At the top of the list, with arguably the most to lose, is...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-talk-electrical-storm-edition

Truck Talk: Proxy plumbing edition

This week, we’re looking at the salaries of some CEOs at de-SPACed electric vehicle startups whose share values are plummeting, and the 15-year anniversary of a technology that literally drives the industry.

The de-SPACed pay picture

Proxy materials typically don’t make scintillating reading. But a company’s top earners can be interesting, especially when the CEOs hold the majority interest in their companies — and draw a salary and other dollar-denominated perks.

We’ve seen a couple of paper...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/truck-talk-proxy-plumbing-edition

Truck Talk: Autonomous insurance edition

This week, we’re looking at what insurance for autonomous trucks might look like and how truck manufacturers are booking additional revenue by selling chargers and hand-holding advice with electric trucks.

Insuring the drive, not the driver

Autonomous trucking software developer TuSimple and Liberty Mutual insurance are working together to figure out how to insure a truck without a distracted, drowsy or otherwise human driver behind the wheel.

Truly driverless trucks are several years away, though...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/truck-talk-autonomous-insurance-edition

Truck Talk: Marriage and divorce edition

This week, we’re looking at the final preparations before Navistar becomes part of TRATON SE and Daimler Truck escapes being lumped in with Mercedes-Benz luxury cars. Also, two views of fuel cells and hydrogen and a not-quite-Oprah-like giveaway.

Wedding gift

Getting married brings big changes. Sometimes one spouse brings college or other debt into a union. Something like that is playing out as Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV) draws closer to its merger with Volkswagen AG’s TRATON SE (8TRA...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/truck-talk-marriage-and-divorce-edition

Truck Talk: No fuelin’ around edition

This week, we’ve got gas — natural gas, renewable natural gas and renewable diesel fuel. Amid the buzz around battery-electric trucks, drop-in fuels often get short shrift. That might be shortsighted. 

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It’s a gas

Except for devoted fleets — think refuse haulers, school buses and some small and midsize fleets — natural gas gets little respect and practically no sustained growth. Though it is far cheaper and pollutes less, it is still a fossil fuel derived...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-talk-no-fuelin-around-edition

Truck Talk: Deal or no deal edition

This week, we’re following TuSimple Holdings Inc.’s $1.1 billion IPO as well as merger prospects for Tula Technology, which makes cylinder-skipping engine controls that dramatically reduce planet-warming greenhouse gases.

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Safe at home

TuSimple’s (NASDAQ: TSP) big news this week was, of course, its initial public offering as it became the first autonomous trucking software developer to go public. With enough money in the bank to get the company to its...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/truck-talk-deal-or-no-deal-edition

Truck Talk: Electrification education edition

This week, NACFE’s Mike Roeth talks about what’s different in the newest Run on Less demonstration, and we learn, after some digging, how Kenworth adopted the tagline “World’s Best Trucks.” 

Electric Avenue

Mike Roeth has made a name for himself as executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE). Sure, NACFE is known for its Confidence Reports on efficiency technologies. But every two years, just about everybody pays attention when Roeth’s nonprofit organizes and...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/truck-talk-electrification-education-edition

Truck Talk: Trailer troubles edition

This week, we’re looking at how trailer industry leader Hyundai Translead is coping with a raft of supply chain issues preventing it from taking full advantage of demand, mixed signals on the Tesla Semi and some other electrification buzz.

An imperfect storm

You might think that trailer makers would be thrilled with month after month of strong orders. A bigger backlog is good, right? That’s not necessarily the case. We talked this week with Sean Kenney, chief sales officer at Hyundai Translead,...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/truck-talk-trailer-troubles-edition

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