trucks | by Jack Roberts
JRoberts@randallreilly.com
The Work Truck Show:
vans, hybrids and solar
A
ccording to Ford,
the average age of
commercial vehicles
in the United States
now is 11 years old,
This information, revealed at a
Work Truck Show press conference last month, makes me think
that many owners will soon be in
the mood to buy.
Here are a few additional
thoughts from the show:
Hybrids aren't working out
on big rigs. At the Green Truck
Summit that opened the Work
Truck Show on Tuesday, several
heavy-duty truck manufacturers
noted that interest in hybrids has
fallen off dramatically over the
past couple of years.
It should be noted that in select
applications – particularly bucket
trucks (and other vehicles that
need a source of electrical power
to perform work) and refuse – hybrids still make sense. But outside
of those specific applications, it
appears fleets are finding it harder
and harder to make a solid business case for hybrid-drive vehicles. Several factors seem to be at
play here: One, the cost of these
trucks is staggeringly high – even
with tax incentives, it's getting
harder for cash-strapped fleets to
pull the trigger when it's time to
EquipmentWorld.com | April 2013 55
