Charting the Future of Commercial Vehicles

During NTEA’s Work Truck Week 2025 in Indianapolis, the Green Truck Summit’s industry roundtable on “Advancing Technology Adoption” brought together a powerhouse panel to break down the seismic shifts reshaping the commercial vehicle landscape.

Moderated by Andrew Wrobel of NTEA, the discussion featured Scott Brower, vice president of vehicle supply, new products and vehicle applications at Penske Truck Leasing; Mark Dickens, vehicle chief engineer for next-gen HD/MD ZEV trucks at General Motors; Chris Hayes, chassis development engineer at Altec; and Mark Ronnebaum, general manager of Olathe Ford Commercial.

The discussion highlighted how the commercial vehicle industry is undergoing rapid transformation driven by software-defined vehicles (SDVs), electrification and regulatory pressures. Panelists shared insights from their unique perspectives, emphasizing the importance of aligning technology with customer needs, managing data complexity, and preparing for a future where autonomy and alternative powertrains play larger roles.

Here are the key takeaways from that discussion.

Increasing Reliance on Software in Vehicles
At the heart of the discussion was software, now the lifeblood of modern vehicles. Dickens, representing General Motors, underscored the scale of this shift.

“A GM vehicle has over 120 million lines of code in it,” he said, highlighting the exponential growth in software complexity. When Dickens joined GM in 1997, mechanical engineers dominated; today, software engineers are the backbone, with the company hiring industry veterans from projects like iMessage and Android Auto to ensure quality. This pivot reflects a broader industry trend toward SDVs, which promise to accelerate innovation but demand unprecedented collaboration.

For Penske’s Brower, the proliferation of software presents both opportunity and overwhelm.

“There’s so much data coming at you – how do you manage that and be able to pick out what’s relevant versus not?” he asked. Penske’s customers, ranging from small fleets to national operators, rely on the company to distill this data into actionable insights. Yet the industry must unify around standardized interfaces to streamline data access, Brower noted.

Upfitters like Altec face their own software challenges. Hayes explained that integrating equipment into incomplete vehicles is complicated by the varied software systems of different manufacturers. “Every OEM does have their own system, and they have their own quirks,” he said, describing the scramble to secure critical signals when OEMs overlook upfitter needs.

For dealers like Ronnebaum, software discussions dominate customer interactions, though less from a technical perspective. “The other hour and a half [of a discovery call] is completely focused on software visibility, telematics,” he said, emphasizing fleets’ need for real-time operational insights.

Dickens predicted that SDVs will turbocharge this trend. “Once that core [software] is developed and set up, I think you’re going to see that exponential growth yet again,” he said, envisioning a future where upfitters can create custom interfaces tailored to specific needs.

Ronnebaum agreed, reflecting on the industry’s rapid evolution: “Look at how much the industry has changed in five years … It’s going at a warp speed.”

Bridging the Human Gap in Technology Adoption
While technology advances, operator adoption remains a critical hurdle. Brower shared Penske’s experience with collision mitigation systems, which became standard on Class 8 tractors in 2017.

“There was a lot of pushback,” he recalled, but persistent education flipped the narrative. “We have a lot of fleets that now say, ‘How could we not have that on our truck?’”

Ronnebaum emphasized that technology is no longer optional for fleet managers. “Without any type of technology to look at daily, how in the heck are you controlling anything?” he asked, citing the need to track fuel costs, maintenance and driver behavior across dispersed fleets.

Yet Hayes pointed out a disconnect at the operator level. After speaking with linemen, he found that “they don’t always understand how [ADAS] is supposed to work,” leading to hesitation. Education, he argued, must permeate the entire supply chain.

Dickens offered an OEM perspective, cautioning against premature technology rollouts. “Your fear is somebody gets there before you that doesn’t have it,” he said, referencing electric pickup trucks with underwhelming range that soured operators. Mandates can exacerbate this, forcing the adoption of technologies before they are refined.

Expanding Powertrain Options
Dickens championed a customer-centric approach. “Give the customer choice because you can’t have one propulsion system solution for everything,” he said, noting that diesel, electric and hybrid options each have their place. Agility is critical, he added, as market dynamics shift rapidly.

Ronnebaum highlighted the mindset shift among customers, who once clung to V8 engines but now embrace smaller, turbocharged powerplants. “Who would’ve thought a four-cylinder in a half-ton truck would produce 300 or 325 [horsepower]?”

Hayes emphasized the importance of collaboration to align powertrains with upfitting needs. “If the chassis doesn’t come right, it makes our job extremely difficult,” he said, advocating for early dialogue with dealers and OEMs.

Navigating a Self-Driving Future
The discussion concluded with a look at autonomy, a technology that is both promising and daunting. Hayes saw potential for utility fleets, where “hiring linemen, not necessarily truck drivers” could be streamlined by autonomous trucks. But he questioned the industry’s current readiness: “Can it be done successfully? I don’t think we’re there quite yet.”

Ronnebaum expressed unease, citing a video of driverless cars in Phoenix. “Can [the vehicle] react in certain situations as human, as we can?” he wondered.

Dickens predicted a phased rollout, drawing on GM’s Super Cruise experience. “The driver fatigue side of it really helps,” he said, recalling a hands-free drive on the West Virginia Turnpike, though full autonomy remains complex.

Brower pointed to early Class 8 applications, such as hub-to-hub lanes in Texas, and off-highway successes in the mining industry. “It’s here, it’s coming,” he said, citing his son’s fondness for Waymo in Tempe, Arizona.

The Bottom Line
This year’s Green Truck Summit underscored a fundamental truth: Technology is not just reshaping trucks; it’s redefining how fleets operate, how vehicles are built and how the industry collaborates. As Ronnebaum put it, “We just all gotta take a look at it and embrace it.”