As the transportation industry navigates rapid technology change, rising operating costs, workforce challenges, and evolving emissions expectations, ACT Expo is bringing the people shaping that future together in Las Vegas.
Joe Annotti, Senior Vice President of Incentives for TRC’s Clean Transportation Solutions team, joined Dan Ronan on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Radio to preview ACT Expo, taking place May 4-7 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and to discuss how fleets are approaching clean transportation, fuel economy, and emerging vehicle technologies.
Annotti emphasized that clean transportation and fuel economy must move forward together, noting that efficiency remains central to the trucking industry’s economic engine. Fleets are focused on moving freight “more safely and more efficiently and more effectively,” while also managing labor, safety, technology adoption, and cost pressures.
He also described the industry as being in a watershed moment, with trucks increasingly operating as “a computer with wheels.” Advanced driver assistance systems, hybridized engines, and increasingly complex powertrains are changing how fleets think about training, maintenance, and long-term operations.
ACT Expo, Annotti said, has grown because it is more than a traditional trucking show and is seen as “a fleet technology show,” with its strength coming from putting fleet managers, directors, buyers, and operators at the center of the conversation. This year’s event will feature around 90 medium- and heavy-duty trucks on the show floor, plus dozens more outside in the Ride & Drive, including the Tesla Semi.
During the interview, Annotti also framed today’s transportation challenges through three lenses: environmental, financial, and social. Environmentally, he pointed to the cleanest diesel engines yet, new fuel-flexible engine platforms, and advanced technologies including zero-emission, hydrogen, natural gas, and propane solutions. Financially, he noted that high fuel costs and broader freight costs continue to affect bottom lines. Socially, he highlighted driver shortages and labor challenges as key pressures facing the industry.
Despite policy swings between administrations, Annotti said the private sector is helping move the industry forward. He pointed to major industry players and emerging technology companies gathering at ACT Expo to present new solutions and showcase vehicles, equipment, and technologies designed to improve transportation.
For fleets, ACT Expo offers a hands-on opportunity to compare technologies, hear directly from industry leaders, and experience vehicles firsthand. Annotti noted that eligible fleet attendees who have not previously attended ACT Expo may be able to receive complimentary registration to walk the show floor, explore the Ride & Drive, and see the latest fleet technologies in action.
From fuel economy and emissions to autonomy, infrastructure, and operational efficiency, ACT Expo will bring the industry together at a pivotal time for commercial transportation. As Annotti told Road Dog Radio, the event’s value comes from connecting the companies building the technologies with the fleets putting them to work every day.
