For maybe the first time ever, I hit the trucker trifecta (plus one) this year. I guess that's the quadfecta.
I drove trucks this year powered by diesel, natural gas, full battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell.
2024 was a big year for trucks, as two titans of the highway – Volvo and Freightliner – each debuted refreshed versions of their on-highway flagship trucks; several other OEMs showcased models just getting into mass production; and International's first fully integrated powertrain finally hit the market.
This past year has been a showcase of new and cutting-edge technology as even the seemingly old and boring diesel engine received significant updates ahead of challenging new emissions regulations.
Volvo VNL
Volvo this year unveiled its all-new Volvo VNL – a truck the company claims is 90% new and 10% more efficient – and I was one of the first people in the world invited to drive it.
At first glance, you'll notice obvious new features such as the new grille and air intake system, but hidden inside is a completely redesigned interior, advanced driver safety features, and a stronger D13 engine. For the 2024 redesign of its VNL – a six year developmental process packaged into a dynamic final design – Volvo leaned into a pretty cool truck in its own right: SuperTruck 2, which Volvo Trucks North America President Peter Voorhoeve calls "the most aerodynamic and efficient truck" Volvo has ever built.
Volvo's FH16 with 17-liter engine
This is the first of a couple bucket list trucks on this list. Volvo's D17 is the largest and most powerful diesel engine Volvo's ever put in a truck. That's fitting because I was able to drive the D17 diesel in Sweden and it was bolted to the largest, heaviest and longest rig I've driven in my life.
This 17-liter diesel engine utilizes a dual-stage turbocharger and heavy-duty steel wave pistons to maximize power density, and a common rail injection system for high fuel efficiency and low exhaust emissions.
So how is this monster an efficiency play? Sweden late last year implemented new length and weight restrictions for heavy trucks, allowing a combination of trailers totaling 113 feet in length and up to 74 tonnes (about 163,000 pounds) on select highways. The short version: one really huge truck can move twice the freight of a normal one, according to Volvo Trucks Director of Environment and Innovation Lars Mårtensson, while producing 27% fewer emissions.
Peterbilt Model 579EVs
Peterbilt parent Paccar is all-in on electrification, having installed eight 350 kilowatt high-speed chargers at its Technical Center in Mount Vernon, Washington, that pull more power collectively than the entire 375 acre campus. Announced in 2018, the battery electric Peterbilt Model 579EV is one of three electric Petes, joining the Model 220EV cabover and the Model 520EV refuse truck. About 100 Model 579EVs are in customer hands.
The truck uses Accelera's (formerly Meritor's) 14Xe Powertrain. Accelera is Cummins' zero-emissions power brand, and Cummins in 2022 acquired Meritor.
Peterbilt Model 579 with Cummins X15N
Announced in 2021 and now rolling off Paccar assembly lines, Cummins' X15N is powered by natural gas (renewable, CNG or LNG), and produces between 400 and 500 hp with up to 1,850 lb.-ft. of torque. The big bore nat gas engine is sparking a resurgence of interest in natural gas and is working to carve out a toe hold in the market as a bridge solution toward zero emissions.
Isuzu NRR EV
Isuzu in 2023 announced its plans to join a crowded battery-electric final-mile field with the NRR EV, a modular electric truck with four different battery configurations. In addition to its modularity, the NRR EV features updated safety features, such as SRS airbags and an ADAS camera that enables automatic emergency braking.
The Class 5 N-Series EV – Isuzu's first all-electric production model that became available this year – comes with a full 19,500-pound gross vehicle weight rating, wheelbases ranging from 132.5 to 176 inches to accommodate a variety of body lengths, and an all-new cab design. Four battery capacity options will be available, the largest of which enables a range of up to 235 miles. The NRR EV will join N-Series siblings powered by a 6.6-liter gasoline V8 or Isuzu’s 4HK1-TC turbodiesel.
Hyundai XCIENT
If I'm driving a Hyundai, it's usually a rental car. But the company is putting itself in position to crash the U.S. heavy truck market (and the zero emissions market at that) with its Class 8 XCIENT fuel cell truck.
Hyundai Motor Company announced last year that it will make its XCIENT hydrogen fuel cell tractor available in the U.S. market in 2024 and in December, in cooperation with 3PL Glovis America, deployed 21 XCIENT heavy-duty hydrogen fuel-cell electric trucks for clean logistics operations. The trucks will transport vehicle parts from HMGMA suppliers across the region to the Megasite daily. During the initial rollout, XCIENT trucks will transport parts between suppliers and the on-site Consolidation Center before eventually expanding to a broader network of suppliers.
International LT with S13 powertrain
Unveiled in August 2022, International Motor's new S13 integrated powertrain includes the S13 engine, T14 transmission and an optimized aftertreatment system. Designed to be a fuel-efficient and streamlined powertrain, the S13 Integrated is the last diesel powertrain International will produce, and the consider it their best one ever.
Following more than five years of development alongside its Traton commercial truck siblings Scania, MAN, Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus and RIO, the all-new International S13 Integrated Powertrain was born.
Freightliner Cascadia
Freightliner will debut its newest Cascadia next year – a fifth generation truck that gets a lot of new and more capable technology features that improve safety, efficiency and profitability. Since its 2007 debut, Freightliner has retailed more than 1 million of its Cascadia flagship on-highway tractors, propelling the company to a leading 40%-plus marketshare.
Cascadia has achieved fuel efficiency gains of more than 35% since the model’s first introduction 17 years ago, and aerodynamic improvements for the fifth generation add another 1.9%. On top of that comes heaps of safety and uptime tech for the coming model year.
Shell Starship
Driving Shell's Starship truck was a bucket list item for me. Sure, it's not a production model and it never will be, but it's probably as close as I'll ever get to flying a rocket ship.
Shell's Starship is currently in its third generation, and a new feature in this variant is a Cummins X15N natural gas engine. The previous iterations had been exclusively diesel-powered.
International HV Series
International Truck in September said it is bringing its S13 integrated powertrain to its HV Series vocational trucks. The Scania-inspired and Alabama-built S13 engine and T14 automated manual transmission offer notable improvements to drivability and lower noise levels while operating in dusty off-road environments.
The International HV 615 is a severe-duty dump truck with an S13 powertrain and up to 515 horsepower. International offers several transmission options for this truck, including various Allison transmission choices and an automated manual International transmission.
