State of Sustainable Fleets: Powertrain and Energy Diversification Defines Fleet Resilience Strategy
It was authored by TRC Companies, a WSP member company.
Paul Rosa, senior vice president of procurement and fleet planning, Penske Truck Leasing, noted: “This year’s Market Brief accurately captures the continuing use of AI in fleet technology and how it allows for fleets to drive enhanced fleet and MPG performance and ultimately sustainability.”Penske Transportation Solutions and Volvo Trucks North America serve as title sponsors. Exelon Companies and S&P Global Mobility are supporting sponsors.
The Market Brief arrives as commercial fleets face a convergence of pressures that industry analysts are calling the most complex operating environment in modern trucking history.
A prolonged freight recession now in its third consecutive year has been compounded by sweeping federal policy reversals, tariff-driven truck cost increases and geopolitical volatility affecting global supply chains and energy markets.
Yet across all this disruption, the data reveals a picture of an industry in structural adaptation rather than retreat. TRC estimates that more than $5 billion in state, local, and utility program funding remains available annually through 2028 supporting clean fleet investment.
Fleet technology markets are maturing across nearly every fuel and drivetrain type. Artificial intelligence has moved from pilot projects to mainstream fleet operations. And the central strategic finding of this year’s Market Brief is clear: fleets managing total cost of ownership (TCO) across a portfolio of powertrain technologies — rather than concentrating on a single solution or waiting out the uncertainty — are demonstrating measurably greater resilience.
In a freight economy where external shocks can rapidly change the economics of any single technology, including conventional diesel, powertrain diversification has become both a financial strategy and a risk management imperative.
To access the full 2026 Market Brief at no cost and receive ongoing updates and analysis from State of Sustainable Fleets, visit www.StateofSustainableFleets.com.
By “Move Ahead” Staff