CLEAN FREIGHT COMES OF AGE That combination of confidence and pragmatism was on full display at the 2026 ACT Expo in Las Vegas, one of the clean freight sector’s largest annual gatherings, where keynotes and panels reinforced the message that adopting and scaling clean technology is a business priority, driven equally by economics and environmental goals. Also clear: Today’s vehicles are increasingly defined by their
makes business sense,” Smith said in a speech. “You can only make a difference if you stay in business. It’s really about bridging the gap between environmental stewardship and operational reality.” Roy has challenged fleets to stop treating sustainability as a compliance checkbox and start treating it as a competitive advantage. “The most sustainable fleets will also be the most successful,” he said. Robert Cruess, president and CEO of ZeroNox, puts it more bluntly, warning against building a business on the assumption that government incentives will last forever: “If you have to rely on green incentives for your product to survive, you’ve built a house of cards.” ELECTRIFICATION FINDS ITS FOOTING Battery-electric vehicles remain central to long-term decarbonization goals, but their near-term role is becoming more targeted. Electrification is gaining traction fastest in applications with predictable routes and manageable downtime, such as yard operations, drayage, ports, and vocational fleets. “Good use cases for electrification are where you have repeatable routes,” says Paul DiLaura, chief commercial officer at Gatik AI. YMX Logistics CEO Matt Yearling agrees, pointing to yard trucks in particular: “Yard trucks are a very good use case.” Equipment on the market reflects that shift. Manufacturers are rolling out a growing range of electric terminal tractors, medium-duty trucks, and heavy industrial vehicles built to replace diesel in controlled environments. Kalmar USA, for one, offers a lithium-ion electric forklift suited to medium-range heavy-lift applications (9 to 18 tons), aiming to replace diesel in industries like steel, lumber, concrete precast products, or oil and gas. The brand also has started delivering its new Kalmar Ottawa T2 EV, an electric terminal tractor with improved thermal management systems, enabling operation in extreme temperatures, from–22°F to greater than 120°F.
technological capabilities. Trucks are becoming a platform unto themselves, and “software-defined vehicle” has become one of the industry’s most- used phrases. “We’ve gone from mechanical machines to electronically controlled powerhouses,” said Stephen Roy, executive vice president of Volvo Group and president of Mack Trucks, in a keynote address at ACT Expo. “Today’s trucks are rolling computers, offering intelligence on wheels.” Regulation is reinforcing the shift. The EPA’s 2027 emissions rules—which tighten NOx standards and extend engine warranty requirements—are front and center in fleet planning. “I don’t think anyone will go into 2027 with an engine with no changes,” says Andrea Lukas, director of product management at Cummins. Mack Trucks has already responded, debuting its MP13 engine, which arrives fully EPA 2027-compliant, delivers up to 540 horsepower and 1,950 lb. ft. of torque, and improves fuel efficiency by up to 3%. REGULATIONS AND ECONOMICS DRIVE PROGRESS Still, the industry consensus is that while policy may accelerate adoption, it won’t sustain it on its own. The technologies gaining real traction are the ones that make economic sense independent of incentives. Cost pressures, regulatory change, and rapid technological advances are converging to push the industry toward transformation—and the throughline is that clean tech has to pay for itself. “Sustainability is only sustainable if it
Volvo and Mack have several electric models on the road, including the Volvo VNR Electric for regional and urban routes, the Mack LR Electric and Mack Medium Duty Electric, and the Mack MD Electric, built for urban delivery and vocational work like dry van or dump applications, with an estimated range of up to 230 miles depending on battery configuration. Mack also offers the Pioneer, an electric version of its flagship highway truck optimized for regional haul and drayage. Operationally, the benefits are measurable: electric vehicles reduce both fuel and maintenance costs, and in many cases require significantly less preventive maintenance than internal combustion engines. But challenges remain— charging infrastructure, route planning, and energy management continue to complicate large-scale deployment. A MULTI-FUEL FUTURE TAKES SHAPE One of the clearest lessons for fleets today is that there is no single path to decarbonization. Instead, operators are pursuing diversified fuel strategies, and volatility in fossil fuel supply and pricing has pushed many to rethink long-standing assumptions about diesel dependence. Natural gas is seeing renewed momentum, with advances in compressed natural gas (CNG) and renewable natural gas (RNG) systems addressing some of Kalmar’s electric reach stacker offers lifting capacities up to 45 metric tons, plus a range of battery options and charging solutions.
170 Inbound Logistics • July 2026
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