Peterbilt has some medium-duty and electric truck news to share. On Aug. 7, the OEM hosted a “Commitment to Class” event for customers and suppliers at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa in Sonoma, California.

Peterbilt executives also addressed the state of the North American truck market ahead of the looming 2007 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Phase 3 Greenhouse Gas emissions regulations.

A Healthy Year for Truck Sales

Industry observers believe that the largest diesel truck prebuy in history has either already begun or will spark off soon.

And Jim Wallace, director of medium-duty products, Peterbilt, took the opportunity to comment on where the truck market stands on the cusp of that predicted prebuy.

That said, the bulk of the meeting was focused on the OEM’s medium-duty product line. Wallace opened by noting that 2024 has already been a tumultuous year for both heavy- and medium-duty truck sales.

“U.S. and Canadian truck industry retail sales are estimated to be in the range of 240,000 to 280,000 Class 8 trucks in 2024," Wallace told attendees. “The medium-duty market remains sturdy and is trending slightly over 100,000 trucks this year. It’s been a little bumpy. But still a very healthy year.”

Wallace added that Peterbilt's vibrant and growing dealership network is key to maintaining that momentum. He said that Peterbilt has been investing heavily in its dealership network since 2015, adding 96 new locations, 1,000 new service bays, 950 new service trucks, and 1,400 technicians.

The lack of diesel technicians is such an acute problem, Wallace added, that Peterbilt has a dedicated, in-house management team whose sole task is to make sure its dealer population of technicians is constantly expanding.

Peterbilt Medium-Duty Updates

Tiffany Cavazos, Peterbilt’s new medium-duty marketing manager, took the stage next to discuss Peterbilt’s latest upgrades for its medium-duty truck lineup.

Peterbilt has focused on four major design themes for its medium-duty models, Cavazos noted. These include:

• Productivity

• Driveability

• Serviceability

• Safety

And Peterbilt’s philosophy, Cavazos added, is that trucks designed with those attributes in mind deliver exceptional total cost of ownership for fleets that run them.

A big part of that equation is the transmission. Which is why, Cavazos said, Peterbilt customers can now spec the Paccar TX-8 automated manual transmission with a new mobile PTO.

This new feature allows PTO engagement beyond first gear. Cavazos also announced an increase in the TX-8 maximum torque rating from 1,000 lbs.-ft. to 1,050 lbs.-ft.

“It’s important to note that we are working closely with Paccar Parts to get PTOs into our parts distribution centers,” said Cavazos.

BEV Sales Strategies & CARB

Patrick Wallace, EV marketing manager, Peterbilt, then spoke about the California Air Resource Board (CARB) Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule that requires OEMs in that state to sell a certain number of zero-emission trucks.

Compliance with this rule means California fleets looking to buy diesel units will have fewer non-diesel trucks available on dealer lots. That doesn't even take into consideration the related Advanced Clean Fleets rule in California, which requires fleets to transition to zero-emissions trucks.

Wallace warned that while the ACT regulation is currently limited to California, other states will soon follow suit.

“This will eventually be a nationwide requirement,” he warned attendees. “There are definitely challenges with the transition to electric trucks. Cost is definitely a challenge for everybody. Fleets desire a truck that is the same price as a diesel and has the same range.”

Wallace said this pushback is natural. And a clear sign that battery-electric trucks still have some work to do to gain widespread acceptance in the North American trucking industry. "I think there’s some acceptance out there that we’re not there yet. And, as a result, I think this transition toward EVs is moving more slowly than legislators would like,” he noted.

Extra Demands on Truck Dealers

Wallace explained that ACT is also placing extra demands on dealers in California and other states that will soon adopt the regulation.

If a fleet wants diesel trucks in ACT states, then Peterbilt has to sell a certain percentage of battery-electric trucks to even have the diesel products available to sell.

That has led to some angst among fleets and dealerships alike. Will they be able to even get the diesel trucks they need in a competitive prebuy market if mandated EV sales goals aren’t being met?

“The way we’re managing that is that if you’re a dealer, and you want a certain allocation of diesel trucks, you’re going to have to buy a certain number of electric vehicles as well,” Patrick Wallace explained. “If the dealer wants 20 diesel trucks, then that sales package is going to have to include two electric trucks. And the dealers can do whatever they like with those trucks. They can use them as service trucks, if they want to. But that’s the way it’s going to work.”