Idle Giants

30/10/2026

The workers of Italy are on general strike today in protest of war and the global fuel crisis - and truck drivers are leading the charge. ✊🚛⛽

In southern Italy, diesel hit about €2.30 a litre, nearly 40% higher than a year ago. Truckers blocked roads and port access, and the ripple effects were immediate:

⛽ ~150 of 270 stations in Apulia ran out of fuel
🛒 Shops are only half stocked
✈️ Airports told airlines to refuel elsewhere

We need trucks, but we need better ones. Truck drivers can’t control global oil prices, but as long as trucks run on diesel, they’re exposed to every oil shock. But the exit from the diesel trap already exists. Electric trucks are on the road today. In Germany, businesses that switched to electric are saving around €1,760 a month.

So why aren’t more on the road?

❌ Upfront price. Electric trucks cost up to double what diesel models cost, shutting most businesses out.

❌ The big brands are holding us back. Major truck makers are lobbying against the very targets that would bring costs down.

❌ Only a few can make the numbers work. Right now, less than one in four fleets can actually afford to make the switch to electric.

Fleets want lower costs. Consumers need relief. Truckmakers need to stop fighting the transition and start delivering affordable electric trucks.

Volvo, Daimler, Traton: Cut the diesel bill. Deliver the trucks.

Read more → https://trans.info/en/empty-shelves-fuel-shortages-and-road-blockades-trucker-protest-is-paralyzing-southern-italy-509698

29/10/2026

The world is ready for electric trucks, so why are legacy truck makers dragging their feet? 🚛⚡️

While diesel prices skyrocket, our communities and our climate pay the ultimate price. Toxic diesel exhaust fills the air in our neighborhoods, driving up asthma rates, heart disease, and global temperatures.

People want electric trucks!
• US buyers pooled an order for 10,000 electric trucks and chose Tesla over traditional brands because it’s cheaper and goes twice as far.
• New competitors from China showed up in Europe with affordable, long-range electric trucks ready to hit the road today.
• Mercedes proved fast progress is possible, more than doubling its electric share in just one year to meet clean air rules.

The technology is here. The math works. But instead of leading, Europe’s biggest truck companies are spending their time lobbying governments to delay pollution targets and protect their diesel profits.

Every year of delay means more fossil fuel smoke in our lungs and more climate destruction. We don’t need more excuses, we need clean air and affordable electric trucks now. 🫁🌍

28/10/2026

Truckmakers colluded for over a decade to overcharge fleets, and now the bill is coming due. 🚛

A Munich court just ruled on how much the “truck cartel” must repay customers: up to 5% of the total price paid for overpriced trucks.

But here’s the problem. The Munich court ruling against the “truck cartel” proves what these manufacturers are capable of: sacrificing clean transport and forcing fleets to pay the price.

Today, fleets are stuck paying record diesel prices while electric alternatives stay out of reach. Truck makers have a history of delaying green tech for corporate profit—it’s time they change course and deliver affordable clean trucks.

Collusion slows the shift to cleaner trucks, cheaper transport and cleaner air.

It’s time to deliver the trucks. ⚡

Read more → https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-21/vw-s-man-daimler-truck-hit-by-cartel-damages-benchmark-ruling?srnd=phx-industries-transportation

16/10/2026

The European trucks industry made it official: they would rather double down on diesel and choose short term profits over Europe’s future.

Big truck makers just released a position paper advocating for a 3-year delay to Europe’s CO2 standards. Even after they’ve been given flexibility!

What’s on the line?

⛽ Fleets will continue to be impacted by skyrocketing diesel prices raising prices for food and consumer goods
🫁 Communities will be exposed to elevated rates of air pollution from diesel trucks equivalent to adding two million cars to European roads
👷 European truck industry jobs will be at risk as Europe falls behind

Don’t let Europe’s biggest truckmakers put their short-term interests ahead of cleaner air, lower costs and Europe’s industrial future.



Read more at → https://www.acea.auto/press-release/european-truckmakers-enabling-conditions-years-behind-2030-co2-compliance-timeline-needs-adjustment/

15/10/2026

Who really pays the price when truck makers fight cleaner trucks?

Truck drivers, small businesses and families.

In Forbes, former EPA official Margo T. Oge explains how soaring diesel prices hit truckers first, then drive up the cost of groceries, clothes and everyday goods.

💸 One long-haul trucker has paid roughly $15,000 more for diesel since the war began.

Meanwhile, major truck makers Volvo Group, Daimler Truck and TRATON have backed efforts to roll back US climate standards, slowing the shift away from diesel–even as they’ve promised to sell more electric trucks.

The result? Truckers stay stuck with high fuel bills, and families pay more.

⚡ Oge points to a better path: make electric trucks more affordable through financing, incentives and transparent pricing.

Read the whole thing at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/margooge/2026/10/01/the-only-real-hedge-against-diesel-shock-is-an-electric-truck/

13/10/2026

Inflation is rising faster than salaries. Grocery prices are up by almost a third - just since 2020.

Electric trucks can help keep costs for groceries and consumer goods stable by protecting transportation networks from diesel price shocks. But only if fleet operators can afford to buy them.

California just passed a bill requiring truck companies to disclose the cost of their electric trucks in order to access public funds. Right now, those prices are secret and negotiated behind closed doors. Transparent truck pricing means more affordable electric trucks on the road - and more affordable groceries in your fridge.

Would you support a similar bill in your state? Sound off in the comments below.

09/10/2026

“When gasoline and diesel costs go up, the cost of everything goes up.”

Diesel prices are soaring. Businesses are struggling. Truck drivers, operators and consumers are footing the bill.

Diesel prices have jumped over 30% in Europe and 60% in the US, squeezing trucking businesses and pushing up the cost of everyday goods.

Electric trucks offer a way out. In Germany, fleets switching to electric are saving around €1,760 a month.

But instead of making electric trucks affordable, major truck makers are charging up to twice the price of diesel models in the U.S. while lobbying against rules that would accelerate the switch.

Fleets want lower costs. Consumers need relief. Big truck makers are holding back the solution.

Volvo, Daimler, Traton: Cut the diesel bill. Deliver the trucks.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/high-diesel-prices-bankrupted-16-trucking-companies-in-just-30-days

01/10/2026

Over 20 business leaders and organizations are pushing back on the attempt by the European freight truck industry to delay CO2 standards by another THREE YEARS.

These standards are critical to making electric trucks more affordable and more widely available to businesses. Companies are already investing heavily in electric fleets, charging and infrastructure- weakening or delaying the 2030 targets now risks pulling the rug out from under those investments.ACEA, the industry association representing Volvo, Daimler, TRATON and other European freight truck manufacturers, already succeeded in watering down clean air regulations earlier this year, but now they want even more.

And as diesel prices across Europe continue to rise, the need for electric trucks is becoming even more urgent. Europe can’t afford to delay the transition to clean air and affordable freight.

Leading businesses including IKEA, EDF, Geopost and DFDS, and civil society are calling on the EU to keep strong truck CO2 standards, saying they need clear and stable policies to keep investing in electric trucks. Businesses say demand for electric trucks is growing fast and warn that weakening the...

24/09/2026

📰🚨🚚 GOOD NEWS ALERT 📰🚨🚚

Sales of electric trucks and buses nearly doubled for the second year in a row, rising by 86% year-on-year.

According to new data from the International Council on Clean Transportation, global sales of battery-electric buses and trucks are skyrocketing. In 2025, there were 520,000 battery-electric buses and trucks sold in the 34 countries studied.

One country continues to pull ahead in the transition to electric trucking - China accounted for 88% of global sales, bringing 457,000 new electric freight vehicles onto the road.

Read more at → https://www.electrive.com/2026/08/20/icct-report-china-pulls-ahead-in-battery-electric-truck-and-bus-sales/

23/09/2026

Price transparency can help make electric trucks more affordable. ⚡🚛

This new policy brief from Evergreen Collaborative shows how states can use public incentives and better pricing data to increase competition and drive down costs.

Policies like California’s new bill could help:

💲 Lower costs
⏩ Speed the shift away from diesel
💨 Bring cleaner air to communities

Public dollars should work twice - lowering costs today and bringing prices down tomorrow.

Read more at → https://www.evergreencollaborative.com/policy-hub/clean-trucks-face-a-price-transparency-gap/