NACFE Sees Technology Improvements in “Messy Middle”
The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) says it is seeing technology improvements in what it calls the industry’s “messy middle,” a phrase often used to describe the gap between early pilots and full-scale, everyday use of new tools in trucking.
In simple terms, NACFE’s message is that progress is being made, even when adoption is not smooth or uniform across fleets, lanes, and equipment types. The “messy middle” is where new technology has to prove it can work reliably outside controlled tests, across different drivers, shops, weather, and real-world schedules.
For drivers, that stage matters because it is where the day-to-day impact shows up. Improvements in the messy middle usually mean technologies are becoming easier to operate, better supported by maintenance networks, and more practical to live with on the road.
The broader context is that trucking technology often moves in steps. New systems can look promising early on, but wide adoption depends on real-world performance, training, serviceability, and whether the benefits hold up under everyday pressures like tight delivery windows and unpredictable conditions.
NACFE’s comments point to continued movement in that middle ground—where tools are no longer brand new, but not yet seamless—and suggest that incremental improvements are helping narrow the gap between trial and routine use.