Macon, Georgia-based school bus builder Blue Bird Corp has entered the truck segment with the announcement of its Class 5-6 EV stripped chassis at ACT Expo in Long Beach, California.

Cummins Inc, based in Columbus, Indiana, debuted its 15-litre hydrogen internal combustion engine at ACT Expo in Long Beach, California. This hydrogen version of the fuel agnostic platform is expected to enter series production in 2027.

Sea Electric Holdings Pty Ltd, based in Los Angeles, California, showcased a Class 6 EV stripped chassis at the ACT Expo in Long Beach. Named the SV6, the firm states that the chassis is suitable for all urban applications up to a GVWR of 22,000lbs (9,980kg).

Sales figures by semi-trailer brand for 2021, published by the Associazione Nazionale Filiera Industria Automobilistica (ANFIA), show the predominance of foreign companies in the Italian trailer market.

V Orlandi SpA is an Italian manufacturer known for its various components for connecting tractor units to semi-trailers. As it happens, so is its parent company SAF-Holland SE, which acquired Orlandi in 2018. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that SAF-Holland is currently merging Orlandi more closely with its own business operations, with the aim of combining them into a single business unit for towing systems.

The Pommier Group of Cergy-Pontoise, France is diligently working to expand the range of products that it is well known for – couplings, protection, fixings, locks, and lights for all kinds of truck and trailer bodywork.

The startling ambition of Evum Motors GmbH is evinced by its name. It is derived from the Latin word aevum which, among other things, means “eternity” – a grandiose claim for a company which is only five years old. But what Evum Motors may lack in experience is made up for by its sheer confidence: confidence, that is, in a unique proposition which might well sidestep and get ahead of the more conventional designs of the commercial vehicle giants.

Benalu SA is a formidable presence in its home territory of France. The specialist manufacturer of aluminium tippers and moving floor semi-trailers claims that it controls 32% of the tipper market in France; a marked contrast to its performance in Italy where it sold just 30 units from its entire portfolio in 2021.

Tecnokar Trailers Srl is one of the major players in the Italian trailer market. As of 2021, it is fifth place in the semi-trailer market, with a 7.4% share, down only slightly on the previous year.

The E-Tech Master OptiModale is a battery-electric box truck with two compartments which open to reveal storage and charging spaces for an electric cargo bike and a parcel-carrying drone.

Where other bus and coach builders have suffered during the past two years of pandemic restrictions on mobility and leisure, Iles Bus UK Ltd has thrived, thanks to a canny alteration to its product strategy. 

The Quantron Qargo 4 EV, unveiled at a press event at its headquarters, is a 4.5t truck with a 3.3m wheelbase, giving it greater manoeuvrability and a smaller turning radius for last-mile applications in inner-city areas.