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What comes to your mind when you think about a long-haul truck driver? Whatever you're thinking — rethink it.

The next generation of truckers are both digitally and technologically savvy. For their life on the road, often lived in and around their trucks for days at a time, they demand a connected, comfortable, state-of-the-art environment.

That insight sparked Volvo Trucks, a nearly 100-year-old long-haul trucking institution, to shatter the mold with the redesign of the all-new VNL. The truck itself boasts groundbreaking advancements in fuel efficiency, safety, connectivity, and comfort, but how do you tell that story for a tech-forward audience? Volvo Trucks answered that call and revolutionized trucking’s digital landscape with the unprecedented way in which the truck was revealed to the world.

At its core, the project started with a simple ask — introduce Volvo Trucks North America’s biggest product launch in 25 years by transforming its website into a digital showroom for the all-new Volvo VNL. That simple web design project quickly evolved into a multi-media effort, inclusive of influencer marketing, a social media campaign, a keynote digital reveal delivered by Volvo Trucks’ President, all driving customers to a state-of-the-art website that guides them through an informative, immersive journey— showing what life will be like on the open road.
The pinnacle of this new journey is the moment customers are able to customize their own VNL. Mirroring the in-person experience, customers start from the outside of the truck and work their way in — selecting their preferred paint colors, trim details, all the way down to which reclining bed and amenities packages best fit their needs. All this lives in a hyper-realistic 3D setting, rendering thousands of configuration variations in seconds. Any configuration can be saved, shared, socialized, or sent to a dealer for continued engagement ahead of the trucks’ availability for purchase.

To clarify, these digital tools and features were all a pipe dream within the context of the old Volvo Trucks digital experience.

The Configurator in particular has resonated with truckers; in the first six weeks after launch, the VNL configurator had 950 submitted builds, compared to 1,045 — in all of 2023. That’s a +991% increase.

For the rapidly growing audience of tech-savvy truckers, the all-new VNL truck (and digital experience) now serves their every need.

In 1996, Volvo Trucks introduced the original VNL: a truck designed with a groundbreaking aerodynamic form for increased long-haul fuel efficiency. In 2024, Volvo Trucks, and the newest VNL, rewrote the playbook.

As Will Bender, Digital Communications Manager, summarized it: “This is a once-in-a-generation launch for Volvo Trucks North America. The sophistication of our vehicles is unmatched; therefore, our digital experience had to be unmatched as well. This new experience leapfrogs us years ahead of our competition, much like our vehicles.”


By the numbers:
+350% Visitors on launch day
+108% Page Views post-launch
7X increase in sign-ups for the digital reveal
In the first six weeks after launch, the VNL configurator had 950 submitted builds, compared to 1,045 — in all of 2023. That’s a +991% Configurator builds on the website
50M impressions from press at launch across Adweek, MediaPost, Heavy Duty Trucking, Green Car Congress and more