The Volvo VNL, a heavy truck purpose-designed for North American roads

A while ago we checked out Super Truck II, a Department of Energy program that has been challenging the makers of Class 8 heavy trucks—the ones that haul up to 80,000 lbs (36.3 tonnes) of freight. Trunk companies like Daimler Trucks North America and Volvo Trucks North America were challenged to build a big rig that used 50 percent less fuel than the machines on the road in 2017, and they stepped up.

It'll be a while before all of the efficiency improvements make their way onto production trucks, as that program has only just come to a close. But the truck makers are already starting to apply some of the lessons to production vehicles. Like Volvo's new VNL, a Class 8 long-haul truck that's been purpose-built just for our market.

"It's replacing the previous generation that had been around for several decades ...