When two sleek Tesla Semis sped across an airport tarmac next to the SpaceX rocket factory in Los Angeles in November, Elon Musk rocked the heavy-duty vehicle market with a disruptive vision of the future. But as eager customers settle in for a two-year wait for the all-electric behemoth, a robust market for heavy-duty electric trucks and buses is already taking shape.

Improved aerodynamics and vehicle add-ons, further engine improvements, the promise of alternative fuels and the advancement of automated driving technologies — all of these add up to exciting developments in truck technology.

For all the dramatic advances in technology, the fundamentals of commercial transportation have remained constant for centuries: the shipper books a load, and the driver delivers it. But the next few years could see a radical transformation in the way that event takes place.