Daimler Truck AG CEO Martin Daum has been appointed chair of the Commercial Vehicle Board of the European Automobile Manufacturers‘ Association (ACEA). A significant move? Incredibly…

In the face of a rapidly changing legislative and operational environment, on top of and driven by the race to abate the use of fossil fuels, there‘s been a no more important time to get stuff done than right now. Martin Daum has a track record of getting stuff done. Proactive and engaged with the transport sector (he even has his own podcast), Daum has led Daimler through some of its most successful and innovative years.

His appointment within the ACEA comes as the development and release of commercial vehicles powered by alternative fuels gathers pace – with numerous electric and hydrogen-powered models hitting the road during 2020 – and the industry edges ever closer to the goal of having a fully CO2-neutral road freight transport sector by 2050.

Based in Brussels, the ACEA brings together the CEOs of 16 of Europe‘s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and vans and is an advocacy body for the automobile industry on the continent. Through its member companies, ACEA taps into a wealth of technical, regulatory and practical expertise to tackle priority concerns across the automotive industry. Among these are transport policy, environment and sustainability, connected and automated driving, and research and innovation.

(The ACEA commercial vehicle members are DAF Trucks, Daimler Trucks, Ford Trucks, Iveco, MAN Truck & Bus, Scania and Volvo Group.)

A new chairman of the ACEA Commercial Vehicle Board is elected annually. Daum takes the reins from Henrik Henriksson, CEO of Scania, who held the position in 2020. Daum‘s term will continue, and doubtlessly ramp up, the industry‘s crusade against climate change.

“Climate change is at the top of the agenda of the commercial-vehicle industry as the most fundamental challenge for humanity and the global economy,” stated Daum. “Our No1 priority this year is to work with policymakers to pave the way for carbon-neutral road transport.”

However, there is an underlying urgency to widespread adoption of these vehicles. “This process has to pick up further pace as it takes about 10 years for our customers to renew their fleets completely,” Daum added. “The transformation of our sector to carbon neutrality will be unprecedented, both in speed and scale.

“We stand ready to work together with all stakeholders to implement a clear roadmap, which includes the deployment of truck-suitable charging and hydrogen fuelling infrastructure, and a policy framework that makes zero-emission technologies the best option for our customers.”

ABOUT MARTIN DAUM

• Martin Daum holds a master‘s degree in economic studies from the University of Mannheim.
• His career with Daimler began in 1987. After several management positions in sales, marketing and controlling – in Germany and the United States – he became a member of the executive committee of Mercedes-Benz Trucks in Europe in 2002.
• In 2009, Daum was appointed president and CEO of Daimler Trucks North America and its affiliated companies.
• Since March 2017, Daum has headed Daimler Trucks & Buses and is a member of the board of management of Daimler AG.
• In November 2019, he became the chairman of the board of management of Daimler Truck AG.