Truck equipment challenges that began at the start of the pandemic in 2020 have continued through 2022, with OEM backlogs and allocations expected to linger through 2023. But that doesn't mean that OEMs haven't continued innovating and producing new model year 2023 vehicles that will soon be in commercial maintenance shops.
With these new models come many adaptations and changes. Truck and engine OEMs are strategically gearing toward producing equipment that will help fleets meet California Air Resources Board (CARB) 2024 emissions regulations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new, stronger standards for heavy-duty vehicles and engines starting in model year 2027, all while minimizing equipment delays.
“In 2022, OEMs only built 182,000 Class 8 tractors, so we’re still trying to catch up from that slowdown back in 2020,” said Al Barner, Fleet Advantage’s SVP of strategic fleet solutions. “If you look at all the changes we’ve had since about that time, we’ve had about 200,000 tractors below demand. So, our indications are that it’s about nine to 12 months behind production. We’ve got a long way to go to catch up with the demand, so we think it will go all the way into 2024.”
Check out some of the “new model” and advancement vehicles in the heavy-, medium-, and light-duty segments heading into 2023.
This gallery originally appeared on FleetOwner.
