Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Aug. 18, 2025:
Motiv, Workhorse to merge into medium-duty electric truck OEM
Two zero-emission vehicle manufacturers announced Friday, Aug. 15, that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement that will create a leading North American medium-duty electric truck OEM.
Under terms of the agreement, Motive and Workhorse Group will merge into a single OEM. Following the completion of the all-stock transaction, Motiv’s controlling investor will become the majority owner of the combined company, and Workhorse shareholders will maintain a significant equity stake. In connection with the merger agreement, Workhorse has completed a sale leaseback and obtained convertible note financing. The transactions value the combined company at approximately $105 million.
The combination brings together two innovators in the medium-duty electric vehicle space to better serve their customer base and enhance value for shareholders. Building on the companies’ complementary platforms, the combined business will be a leader in the medium-duty truck segment with a full range of Class 4-6 trucks. The companies believe that together, they will benefit from increased scale, an expanded product portfolio and enhanced operational efficiencies to support lower unit costs while optimizing total cost of ownership (TCO) for customers.
The combined company is expected to have a strengthened financial profile with a simplified capital structure and the financial resources to capture anticipated demand from the ongoing transition to clean energy and better help customers decarbonize their fleets.
Following the closing of the transaction, Scott Griffith, Motiv CEO, is expected to serve as CEO of the combined company and Rick Dauch, Workhorse CEO, is expected to serve as an advisor to the combined company.
“Bringing together two leading OEMs in the medium-duty space strengthens our ability to reduce the cost of electric trucks and make the total cost of ownership even more compelling,” Griffith said. “We believe this is a coming-of-age moment – not just for Motiv and Workhorse, but for the industry as a whole, and that widespread adoption of medium-duty electric trucks will come from achieving cost parity vs. ICE and diesel trucks and offering compelling long-term value. That’s exactly what we’re focused on delivering with this merger, and with a combined more than 17 million miles under our belt, we believe the transaction will put us in a strong starting position to deliver on this vision. I’m excited by the opportunity to lead the combined company, work closely with the Motiv and Workhorse teams to capture the opportunities ahead, and deliver for our customers, our shareholders and the communities in which our trucks operate.”
DOT requests input on nationwide autonomous vehicle deployment
The U.S. Department of Transportation is requesting information from the public and stakeholders to help inform coordinated national research supporting automated driving systems (ADS) transportation technology deployment and realizing safe, efficient operations on the nation’s roadways.
The DOT’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R) noted that “ADS-equipped vehicles have significant potential to transform safety and mobility, but in order for national deployment to scale effectively,” there are questions that need to be answered.
Issues identified by the DOT include “the challenges and opportunities of ADS, including understanding disengagements, identifying factors that contribute or detract from reliable and consistent operations and interactions, and facilitating interoperable data standardization and real-time analytics, among others.”
In a Federal Register notice set to publish Monday, Aug. 18, the DOT is seeking feedback from industry, technology developers, operators of ADS vehicle fleets, State/local transportation agencies, researchers, and other stakeholders to inform the department on automated vehicle research priorities to support nationwide deployment.
With the request for information (RFI), OST-R said it “intends to enhance the current understanding of the technical, data, and resource needs to improve the ability of software-driven AV systems to operate and interact with other road users and infrastructure safely and efficiently at scale on roadways across varied U.S. geographies and operational design domains.”
The new RFI does not cover vehicle safety topics already included within existing vehicle safety regulatory responsibilities under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Specifically, DOT is requesting specific information on the following topics:
- Data standards and integration
- Edge case characteristics identification
- Supervision dynamics and human interaction
- Evidence-based evaluation
- Transparency and building public understanding of variations in AV impacts on the transportation system
- Evaluation of consistent and robust vehicle behavior interactions with other road users and the transportation system
Each topic has specific questions DOT is requesting information on, which can be seen in the Federal Register notice here. Comments will be accepted for 60 days beginning Aug. 18 at www.regulations.gov by searching Docket No. DOT–OST–2025–1029.
Ward Transport opens new Toledo facility
Ward Transport & Logistics (CCJ Top 250, No. 132) has announced the opening of its new Toledo Service Center as part of the company’s ongoing growth initiative.
The expansion reinforces the company’s network in Ohio and the surrounding region.
Located at 5200 Stickney Avenue in Toledo, the 52-door facility spans nearly 25,000 square feet on almost 14 acres, giving Ward the space and capacity to handle growing demand while maintaining the speed, reliability, and quality its customers expect, the company said.
“Ward has a long-standing tradition of serving the Ohio markets with excellence,” said Dwain Key, Senior VP of Operations. “By more than doubling our door capacity in Toledo, we’re bolstering the already strong service the people of Northwest Ohio and Detroit have come to expect from us – fast, reliable, and done the Ward Way.
