Today I Learned – December 2025

NACFE does most of its work in the field at industry events and staff members hear a lot of interesting things each month. Here are some things we learned recently. Contact us if you want to ask questions about where and how we learned what we share here.

2025 is on track to be the first-ever $1 trillion U.S. holiday season, up about 4% from 2024, yet trucking is only expecting a modest peak — about a 5% to 10% bump in spot rates — because the real story is capacity exiting the market and parcel surcharges, not a demand boom.

— Dean Bushey, Director of Programs

Australia is on a parallel path toward electric trucks. In 2023, according to Mov3ment, there were only three BEV suppliers, now in 2025 there are 15+ with many models available in Australia.

— Rick Mihelic, Director of Emerging Technologies

Due to the lack of a federal standard for autonomous vehicles, 25 states have enacted different rules. This lack of harmonization is a problem for the AV industry. A federal standard is needed, and an industry forum is being established to create one set of rules so that the U.S. can be a leader in AVs.

— Jeff Seger, Clean Energy Consultant

Electric trucks captured 22% of new heavy-duty truck sales in China in the first half of 2025, more than doubling their market share from the previous year and signaling a real shift away from LNG and diesel. 

— Emilia Sibley, Emerging Technologies Consultant