The truck is becoming a software platform
IAA Transportation showed commercial vehicles becoming software defined as OEMs and suppliers build connectivity and intelligence into the vehicle itself.
This week's IAA Transportation in Hannover gave the fleet industry one of its clearest views yet of where commercial vehicles are heading.
Electric trucks attracted attention.
Autonomous trucks attracted attention.
AI was everywhere.
But underneath almost every major technology story was something potentially more significant.
The commercial vehicle is becoming software defined.
For decades, most of the intelligence surrounding a commercial vehicle was added after it left the factory.
Telematics box.
Camera.
Tracking device.
CAN interface.
Driver terminal.
Asset sensor.
Maintenance software.
Increasingly, manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers are building connectivity, computing power and software capability directly into the vehicle architecture.
ZF used IAA to demonstrate technologies including secure over the air software updates, high speed connectivity between trucks and trailers and increasingly centralised vehicle intelligence.
The company describes the direction as the software defined commercial vehicle.
This could fundamentally reshape fleet technology.
Sources
This story first appeared in The Fleet Brief Issue 004, published 21 September 2026.