Truckin' along

Alternative power sources, aerodynamic designs, and electronics integration mark the road ahead for the heavy-truck industry.

Over the past several years, emissions reduction has been front and center in the commercial-vehicle sector. Now that products satisfying U.S. EPA 2010 regulations for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions are ready for deployment, attention can turn even more acutely to improving the distance a tractor-trailer or other commercial vehicle can travel on 1 gal (3.8 L) of diesel.

“I think fuel economy has got to be the number-one concern on people's minds right now,” asserted David Allendorph, Chief Designer, Industrial Design in Global Body Engineering, at Navistar Truck Group.