Former USA Truck CEO James Reed recently joined Kodiak Robotics as chief operating officer. What's the former fleet exec's perspective on self-driving truck technology?

There's a lot more to adopting electric trucks than batteries and range, as HDT's Deborah Lockridge explores in this conversation with Hendrickson's Jeff Sass on this episode of HDT's Leadership Insights, produced in partnership with, and sponsored by, Hendrickson.

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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed some significant changes to its Safety Measurement System, which is how it prioritizes motor carriers for enforcement. What will those potential changes mean to trucking companies?

In this episode of HDT Talks Trucking, HDT Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge joins Brandon Wiseman of Trucksafe Consulting to discuss FMCSA’s recently processed changes to the SMS. Has the FMCSA fixed the problems in how it measures motor carrier safety? We’ll see. HDT dives into the five changes all carriers should know about.

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More About EPA's 2027 Low-NOx rule

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Truck and engine makers have less than three years to pull off a minor engineering miracle to meet EPA’s 2027 ultra-low-NOx rules. The stringent new emissions regulations for diesel engines take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. That means the first of the engines designed to meet those standards will hit the street in early 2026.

Hear from ACT Research Vice President and Senior Analyst Tim Denoyer about the likelihood of a pre-buy occurring ahead of the new emissions rules. In this HDT Talks Trucking interview with HDT Equipment Editor Jim Park, Denoyer explains why he believes the cost and complexity of the new trucks and engines will see fleets stocking up on pre-2027 trucks before the 2026 deadline. 

In This Episode:

More About EPA 2027

EPA 2027 and Beyond: How Will New Low-NOx Rules Affect Fleets?

Is the Largest Truck Prebuy Ever on the Horizon?

Environmental Group Says ‘No Evidence’ of Truck Prebuys

Electric and alternative-fuel vehicles aren't new to UPS, but the company recently took delivery of its first fully electric Class 8 truck, a Freightliner eCascadia.

This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Scraper Systems.

HDT Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge talks to Anthony Marshall, VP of Maintenance and  Engineering-Transportation Equipment at UPS, about how the new BEV fits into its operations, driver reaction, figuring ROI, UPS' sustainability goals, and more on this episode of HDT Talks Trucking.

🚨 Visit HDT's Truckinginfo.com to stay up to date on the latest industry news.

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🎥Watch a version of this interview on HDT's YouTube Channel

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed some significant changes to its Safety Measurement System, which is how it prioritizes motor carriers for enforcement. What will those potential changes mean to trucking companies?

This episode is sponsored by Scaper Systems.

In this episode of HDT Talks Trucking, HDT Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge joins Brandon Wiseman of Trucksafe Consulting to discuss FMCSA’s recently processed changes to the SMS. Has the FMCSA fixed the problems in how it measures motor carrier safety? We’ll see. HDT dives into the five changes all carriers should know about.

FMCSA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking:

Learn More About How FMCSA Prioritizes Motor Carriers:

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Automatic electronic tolling is becoming more and more common. But a missed plate-read or other error can quickly add up to big bucks for trucking fleets both large and small. 

This episode of HDT's Leadership Insights video podcast is sponsored by, and produced in partnership with, PrePass.

Today there are more than 50 toll authorities, and the tolls they collect are growing. In the past decade, consumer prices have increased almost 17%, but toll costs are up 73%, according to numbers from PrePass. HDT"s Deborah Lockridge talks to Bob Trent, vice president of communications for PrePass, about potential pitfalls in automatic electronic tolling and how trucking fleets can avoid problems.

When Hyliion’s natural gas-powered long-range ERX (electric range extender) Hypertruck hits the streets later this year, it’s expected to be marginally lighter and less expensive (after incentives and credits) than midrange battery electric trucks. Company founder and CEO, Thomas Healy says it has up to 1,000 miles of range including up to 75 zero-emissions miles on batteries only. Hyliion is betting big that’s enough to peak truckers’ interest.

This episode is sponsored by Scaper Systems. 

HDT’s Equipment Editor Jim Park went to Hyliion’s Austin, Texas, headquarters to drive the ERX in late 2022. After the drive, he sat down with Thomas Healy to talk about the thinking behind the ERX, the benefits of range-extender configurations, and the GHG reduction potential of renewable natural gas. Is it a viable alternative to pure battery electric? Will it help us transition from diesel to some form of zero-emissions truck, or is the ERX all we really need?

What’s in this episode:

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HDT Hyliion Test Drive

Hyliion Virtual Ride and Drive

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It's recently appeared that self-driving trucks are not going to be hauling freight down the road without a driver as quickly as some developers and investors had expected. But startup tech company Waabi says its AI-focused approach will allow it to commercialize the technology faster.

HDT Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge talks to Waabi's Dustin Koehl, a former fleet manager and HDT Emerging Leader, about how the company's approach differs and why they call themselves the next generation of autonomous trucks.

Note: In the interview, Koehl hints at a big OEM announcement. Since our interview, Volvo Group Venture Capital announced an investment in Waabi Innovation Inc.

Autonomous Truck Startup Unveils AI-first Waabi Driver

How Waabi World Works

How Do Autonomous Trucks “See” the World?

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Nikola Corp. is not without its share of drama. Company founder and then-CEO, Trevor Milton, was convicted last fall on one count of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud related to allegedly false statements he made to investors. A little over a year later, the company seems to be on firmer footing, following the appointment of its new CEO, Michael Lohscheller. He took the company reins on November 2, 2022. 

HDT Equipment Editor Jim Park sat down with Michael Lohscheller for a wide-ranging discussion about the company’s plans to manufacture a soon-to-be-unveiled fuel cell electric truck at the Coolidge, Arizona manufacturing facility, its hydrogen production plans, and the roll-out of the battery-electric Nikola Tre. 

🏫 More About Nikola and Zero-Emission Trucks:

Nikola

Is Hydrogen Really Trucking’s Fuel of the Future?

Nikola Launches Mobile Fueler for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trucks

Nikola Founder Trevor Milton Convicted of Fraud 

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