All through December we’re touting our top equipment trends of the year. Last time we crowned a heavy-duty truck equipment trend of the year and this time, we’re looking at all things vocational. That’s right, we’re talking medium-duty, and this year’s medium-duty truck equipment trend of the year was—electrification!

This was EV’s year in the work truck spotlight, and I mean that literally. The vast majority of Work Truck Show press events focused on new battery electric offerings–from both established medium-duty brands like Hino, Mack, International Trucks, and Isuzu to new nameplates like Workhorse, Lightning eMotors, Shyft Group and Rizon entering the North American market.

While the range of work truck applications fall well within the approximate 100 to 150-mile range offered by many of the manufacturers, the segment offers unique EV challenges, like ease of upfitting and the need for a PTO. This year, manufacturers showcased their answers to said challenges. Customization was the name of the game.

The big takeaway is that electrification is coming to the medium-duty market. But the big caveat is that, just like in heavy-duty, charging infrastructure remains a question mark. Charging sites need to be able to accommodate commercial-sized vehicles when they’re out on the roads working, and even then, some of those job sites can be remote. Still, there is plenty of movement on battery electric technology for these vocational workhorses and we expect to see an even larger presence of EVs at 2024’s Work Truck Week.

Watch the video for all of the insight as to why we named electrification the 2023 medium-duty truck equipment trend of the year.

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