Equipment

As the nation began easing its way out of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, activity on closely watched initiatives related to the trucking workforce heated up, while efforts to advance new laws for trucking fleets kept stakeholders engaged.

U.S. safety regulators are investigating reports that autonomous robotaxis run by General Motors’ Cruise can stop too quickly or unexpectedly quit moving, potentially stranding passengers.

As 2022 comes to a close, a significant shift is taking place at America’s ports. Until late summer, Los Angeles’ was the busiest in the nation, but that honor now belongs to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

For the first 10 months in 2022, the supply chain still posed difficulties for manufacturers of new trucks and trailers. 

Ford Motor Co. and China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. are considering building a battery manufacturing plant in Michigan in a complex arrangement designed to reap new tax benefits.

November U.S. retail sales of Classes 4-7 trucks overall fell 2.5%. It was the second-smallest decline this year, which so far has posted only one positive month compared with a year earlier, Wards Intelligence reported.

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency said fuel efficiency in Class 8 trucks participating in its annual fleet study from 2018 to 2020 remained flat at 7.24 mpg after seven previous years of 2% annual increases.

California’s move toward its 2035 goal of requiring all drayage trucks to be zero-emission is ramping up. Port and trucking experts say to achieve that, the hard work needs to be done now and for at least the next 10 years.

Class 8 U.S. retail sales in November were the second-highest this year and continued the trend since May of monthly gains compared with a year earlier, Wards Intelligence reported.

Freight mobility technology company Einride announced it secured $500 million in financing, including a Series C equity raise and a debt facility.