[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.] Truck Makers Navigate Era of Rapid Change Manufacturers Adapt to Uncertainty While Investing in Multiple Powertrains and Emerging Technologies Managing Editor, Features and Multimedia Key Takeaways: - Truck and engine executives said at a May 4 ACT Expo 2026 panel in Las Vegas that rapid technological change and external shocks are reshaping a historically cyclical commercial vehicle industry. - Panelists said manufacturers are balancing diesel investments with electrification, connectivity and AI as uncertainty from emissions rules, geopolitics and trade policies accelerates change. - Executives said fleets will see growing benefits from connected safety systems, diverse powertrains and eventual autonomous vehicles, with adoption spreading gradually across long equipment life cycles. LAS VEGAS — Heavy-duty truck and engine manufacturers have long been accustomed to the ups and downs of the highly cyclical commercial vehicle market, but in recent years they’ve also been contending with an elevated level of uncertainty and change. While adapting to shifting emission regulations, equipment manufacturers are balancing investments in both their diesel engine platforms and emerging powertrains. They also are incorporating next-generation technologies into their vehicles and customer support networks. The leaders of several North American truck makers and engine supplier Cummins outlined how they are juggling those imperatives during a May 4 panel discussion at ACT Expo 2026. “What is maybe less normal and becoming the new normal is the speed of change,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “It goes a lot faster right now.” He suggested that more has happened in the commercial vehicle business in the past seven years than in perhaps the prior 70 years. “We’ve been focusing on diesel engines for 100 years. Now, all of the sudden we’re spreading into different technologies and doing that all at