The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) has released Bringing Clarity to the Messy Middle, a new report summarizing findings from its demonstration focused on long-haul Class 8 trucking.
Held September 2025, the three-week Run evaluated 13 fleets operating diesel, natural gas, battery-electric, and hydrogen fuel cell trucks in real-world long-haul and return-to-base duty cycles. The demonstration included sleeper and day cab configurations, with continuous performance data collected through Geotab telematics systems.
NACFE emphasizes that the goal was not to identify a single “best” solution, but to better understand trucking’s transitional “messy middle” — the period between today’s diesel-dominated operations and a lower-emission future. While long-haul trucks represent a smaller share of total vehicles, they account for a disproportionate share of freight emissions, making the segment especially significant.
According to the report, each powertrain demonstrated viability under specific operating conditions. Diesel and renewable diesel showed continued efficiency improvements. Natural gas offered strong performance and fast refueling. Battery-electric trucks operated successfully in defined applications, and hydrogen fuel cell trucks were evaluated as an emerging option with potential in select use cases.
NACFE notes that decarbonizing long-haul trucking will likely require a phased, multi-technology approach aligned with duty cycle, infrastructure availability, and fleet operations.