In the wake of Friday’s news that California will soon set its own emission regulations, mandating zero-emission commercial trucks by 2040, Dana Chairman and CEO Jim Kamsickas took the stage at Monday’s Truck Renting and Leasing Association (TRALA) Annual Meeting with a lot of ground to cover.
He didn’t mess around.
Kamsickas says the future of the commercial trucking has never been more uncertain. Transportation is facing its most disruptive transformation “since the horse and buggy was replaced by internal combustion engines.”
For the record, Kamsickas points out he doesn’t think the latter’s days are numbered. “Diesel engines will be a prominent technology for specific uses for decades to come,” he says. But he does acknowledge their time as the near-exclusive powertrain of commercial transportation is going to end. It has to. Pressure from the general public and government regulators is only going to continue to drive cleaner technology into transportation.
[RELATED: California becomes first government in the world to mandate electric trucks]
Kamsickas believes success for suppliers, as well their OEM and dealer lease and rental partners, moving forward will not come from fighting or circumventing transportation’s inevitable transformation. It will be through taking these changes head on and collaborating to offer comprehensive solutions that will exceed cultural demands and support customers who are adopting the technology of the future.
