Hydraulics and pneumatics play an important role in many work truck designs, whether that be use within a braking system or powering work functions such as lifting and lowering a dump bed. As such, there was a wide array of fluid power technologies on display during the 2024 edition of Work Truck Week, a large annual event focused on the work truck industry — which includes various light- to medium-duty vehicles such as utility trucks, delivery vans and more.
Even as electrification continues to grow in this portion of the commercial vehicle sector, hydraulics and pneumatics remain important to their operation. But like in many other industries, there is greater inclusion of electronics as well as efforts to improve efficiency.
With the increasing development of electric vehicles for the work truck industry is an increase in development of ePTOs which could be found around the show floor and had a greater presence than in years past. A PTO, or power take-off, is commonly used to transmit power from an engine or transmission to other systems such as the hydraulics. As many electric vehicles replace the engine with batteries, an ePTO allows electric power to be transmitted.
This capability is necessary to continue powering the fluid power systems that will be used on work trucks for years to come. In many instances, the power density provided by hydraulics in particular cannot be matched in the heavy-duty applications in which these trucks work, aiding their longevity in the market.
More traditional hydraulic and pneumatic solutions could be found throughout the show as well as those incorporating electronics to provide more safety capabilities and simplified operation which is a growing need in a market facing a lack of skilled labor, like so many others.
Within this media gallery is a sampling of the fluid power technologies displayed at Work Truck Week 2024.
Read more about the various technologies introduced at the show:
