Volvo Trucks North America is partnering with Canadian freight-tech firm Class8 on a new Load Finder service aimed at turning empty miles into revenue by matching trucks to nearby spot freight based on live vehicle data and driver availability. The program is designed to plug into Volvo’s connected ecosystem and streamline dispatcher workflows while helping fleets keep tractors moving with paid miles. The move underscores how OEMs are leaning into software-backed services to bolster total cost of ownership at a moment when every mile has to count for carriers.
Why now matters: the freight market remains choppy, making utilization king. U.S. Class 8 retail sales fell 13.5% year over year in August to 17,876 units, a sign fleets are extending trade cycles and getting choosier about capital outlays — conditions that elevate the value of tools that can fill backhauls and trim deadhead without adding trucks.
At the same time, big fleets are still refreshing equipment — but with unusual caution. Averitt Express just booked 264 Volvo VNL 860s for delivery this year, a shorter-than-normal window that Volvo says reflects uncertainty around tariffs and 2027 emissions rules. The order signals that buyers are prioritizing fuel savings and driver amenities while keeping flexibility on timing — precisely the environment where a digital load-matching layer can help keep new iron productive from day one.
There’s also more competition for truckload in key corridors. CSX and CN are stitching together an all-rail intermodal service from Canada’s West Coast through Memphis into Nashville, swapping out a truck leg with a steel‑wheel interchange. For truckers, rail’s lane expansion raises the bar on keeping tractors fed with well-matched freight, especially on return trips — a gap load‑matching engines like Volvo’s Class8‑powered tool are built to address.
Volvo is pairing the software push with hardware credibility. This week the company highlighted hot‑weather trials of the all‑new VNL in 120‑degree desert conditions on heavy grades in Arizona, Nevada and California — the kind of testing that supports uptime claims when fleets depend on real‑time data and over‑the‑air connectivity to land and run back‑to‑back loads. Reliability in the heat (and the cold) is part of the same TCO story as eliminating empty miles.
What to watch next for carriers and dispatchers:
– Integration depth: The biggest gains typically come when a load-matching engine can see ELD status, next destination, and service windows — not just ZIP‑to‑ZIP positions. Expect questions about how deeply Load Finder reads live truck data and how it surfaces recommendations inside existing workflows.
– Broker quality and rate intelligence: In a soft market, the spread between posted and booked rates can be the difference between profit and red ink. Carriers will want to see transparent rate histories and broker reliability signals built into recommendations, not merely a consolidated feed of loads.
– Mixed-fleet access: Many fleets run multiple brands. For maximum network effect (and fewer deadhead miles), tools like Load Finder need to be accessible beyond a single OEM portal even as Volvo offers tighter integration for its connected trucks.
– Fraud controls: As identity-based cargo theft and double brokering pressure spot markets, carriers will look for verification layers and alerting inside any load board-like experience to reduce risk while chasing backhauls.
Bottom line: Pairing Class8’s freight-matching tech with Volvo’s connected truck data is a logical next step in OEMs’ shift from metal sellers to uptime partners. With retail sales slipping and intermodal nibbling at select lanes, fleets don’t need another generic load board — they need faster, higher‑confidence matches that turn unproductive miles into billable ones. If Load Finder delivers clean integrations, credible rate signals, and rigorous counter‑fraud features, it could help carriers squeeze more revenue out of the assets they already own while the freight cycle sorts itself out.
Sources: FreightWaves, Trucking Dive, Transport Topics, Volvo Trucks North America
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