Just back from the Mid-America Trucking Show, where the mood was universally upbeat with expectations of continued strength for new truck demand. It’s unlikely that the CEOs of the various manufacturers compared notes prior to the show, but it almost seemed that way, as all were consistent with their predictions that the Canada/US Class 8 truck market will this year total about 240,000 units. That could potentially make 2014 the third strongest year ever for new truck orders, according to Gary Moore, general manager of Kenworth.

Truck and engine makers at the show all spoke of fuel economy and uptime as being the keys to success. And there is good news to report on both fronts. First, fuel economy. It’s getting better. The GHG14 fuel economy standards that began to take effect in January are already yielding positive results, at least according to Mack and Volvo. Both companies reported fuel economy improvements of 2.4-3% on trucks sold this year.

“I’m happy to announce today, that we have been able to exceed our expectations in fuel efficiency. The new greenhouse gas (certified) 2014 engines are delivering up to 3% extra fuel efficiency, bringing value, bringing dollars to our customers,” Volvo president Goran Nyberg announced during a press conference.

And while there were no new models introduced at this year’s MATS, several truck makers introduced fuel-efficiency packages to improve the fuel economy of existing models. Kenworth introduced a series of enhancements that collectively make the company’s T680 5% more fuel efficient than the same truck sold last year. And Peterbilt launched the EPIQ package of specifications for its Model 579, which it says can improve fuel economy by up to 10%.