Trucks play an integral role in American business and life. About 39 million registered trucks move nearly three-quarters of all freight by weight, grossing about $875 billion in revenue. Four manufacturers dominate the market, but Daimler Trucks, holds about 40% of the total market share largely because of its Freightliner brand. These companies are mass producers of custom vehicles. Freightliner’s paint catalog, for example, has more than 3,000 shades of the color white. But the business is changing, as upstarts boldly promise to deliver electric semitrucks and autonomous driving systems. But some industry analysts say that currently there is not a clear business model for a lot of these innovations.

Produced by: Robert Ferris
Edited By: Dain Evans
Camera: Magdalena Petrova, Darren Geeter
Senior Managing Producer: Tala Hadavi
Graphics: Christina Locopo, Jason Reginato, Alex Wood

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Who Makes America's Semi-Trucks