The 2018 IAA Commercial Vehicle tradeshow in Hanover, Germany, is wrapping up this week, and one big message is clear: Electric trucks are coming.

For trucking companies, fuel is a huge cost, so it makes sense that they’d do anything necessary to cut down on those expenses. The IAA show also revealed fuel-saving technologies in aerodynamics, lighter weight vehicles, and other ways to raise efficiency.

But the one common theme was that electricity will soon power trucks.

Truckers Shouldn’t Despair

To the Class A Drivers audience of truck drivers, new technology often carries a bad connotation. Many of our readers think of the annoyance of ELDs or the looming threat of automation.

Electric trucks refer only to how the vehicle is powered. Not all electric trucks are autonomous.

In fact, we’re optimistic about the future of truck drivers in electric trucks, and we believe truckers should welcome the new technology.

Advantages for Electric – Owner-Operators

Many truck drivers start as company drivers and then move on to become owner-operators. Electric trucks will make this easier for truckers, because owning your own vehicle and paying for all the fuel and upkeep will be less expensive.

The same reason that trucking companies want to save money with electric is the same reason that becoming an electric owner-operator can lead to more savings and more money in your pocket.

Advantages for Electric – Company Drivers

Owner-operators won’t be the only beneficiaries. Think of all the money that trucking companies will be saving on fuel.

If your company invests in an electric fleet, then some of those savings should pass on down to the company drivers. And if they don’t, then you should ask for a raise! You read Class A Drivers, and you’re informed about the industry.

While unions are unfortunately a tiny presence in trucking, drivers can and should understand their worth to the company, especially with a driver shortage and new savings from electric vehicles.

Also, there are benefits to health that come with cleaner air and a cleaner environment that will come with heavy-duty electric vehicles.

To the Future

Trucking is always changing, and any industry based on machinery will be at the whim of new technology. But electric vehicles are nothing to fear, and they may even mean more money in your pocket.