Earlier this month we published a review of NTEA’s annual Fleet Purchasing Outlook survey. The annual report polls fleets from all corners of the transportation sector each January to gauge fleet sentiment and purchasing plans for the year ahead.
Fleet sentiment in this year’s survey was expectedly muted as the industry remains somewhat hindered by the uncertainty of COVID-19. Though most fleets do plan to purchase some new equipment this year, only a minority have larger purchasing plans than they did a year ago.
Fleets in different industries also have different expectations for the year ahead. As you might expect, delivery/cartage fleets are most bullish about their business for 2021 — and have the most robust purchasing plans — while fleets in the other segments, such as construction, reported they are more likely to downsize than expand in the next year.
All of that is covered in greater detail in NTEA’s report and our corresponding article, though one segment of the former we did not directly address in the latter was fleet sentiment regarding diesel vs. alternative power.
One reason for that was overall fleet sentiment toward alternative fuels didn’t change much year over year. Seven in 10 responders to NTEA’s January survey said they had no intention to alter their usage of diesel-powered trucks this year. That was a higher number than 2020. Slightly more than 20 percent said they would decrease their diesel usage, but that total was nearly identical to 2020’s survey results — and lower than the number of fleets who said they planned to downsize their diesel usage in 2017 through 2019.
RELATED: NTEA releases 2021 Fleet Sentiment Outlook survey results
There was also the matter of the underlying data. While NTEA’s survey results revealed a status quo for alt-fuel sales in 2021, that doesn’t mean the trucking industry has abandoned its interest in non-diesel fuels and powertrains. Fleets that have adopted alternative fuel programs within their operations remain committed to them. And just because fleets aren’t investing in alternative power in 2021 doesn’t mean they won’t change their tune in the years ahead.
