DAF Brought Electric Drive Closer to Construction Truck Fleets

At IAA Transportation 2026, DAF showed a five-axle 10×4 construction rigid, electric 6×4 and 8×4 chassis with driven tandems, and a battery layout that adds up to 2.5 tonnes of payload.

For construction haulage, the questions about electric trucks are blunt: can they carry the load, handle the site, and still get home? DAF’s IAA Transportation 2026 line-up (Hanover, 15 to 20 September) tackles all three.

Construction configurations

On the diesel side, DAF is introducing an ex-factory 10×4 rigid for heavy construction work. The five-axle XD or XF has two steered front axles (8, 9 or the new 10 tonnes) and a 34-tonne rear tridem with a driven tandem and a liftable, steered trailing axle, for a technical gross vehicle weight of up to 54 tonnes. New twin-steered 10-tonne front axles also allow 47-tonne GVW configurations.

On the electric side, the range now includes:

• 6×4 and 8×4 electric rigids with driven tandem axles (19 and 21 tonnes), with single or hub reduction, for heavy construction use;
• a 6×2 electric rigid with a 10-tonne trailing axle, suited to tippers and demountable container systems;
• 6×2 electric tractors with steered pusher or trailing axle for heavy distribution;
• dedicated 4×2 and 6×2 chassis for German BDF swap bodies, with up to five battery packs.

More payload from a new battery layout

DAF says its XD, XF, XG and XG+ Electric already offer up to 500 kg more payload than equivalent diesels, thanks to the extra registration weight of up to two tonnes allowed for electric trucks.

At IAA it goes further with a battery set-up that removes the pack under the cab and positions up to four packs towards the rear. Cutting front axle load by about 700 kg improves weight distribution and enables a payload gain of up to 2.5 tonnes.

All DAF Electric trucks use cobalt- and nickel-free LFP batteries with an eight-year warranty and can be charged daily to 100%. Ranges exceed 550 km on a single charge with the modular battery packs.

The new XG and XG+ Electric complete the electric line-up.

Uptime and driver tools

DAF TruckIQ services based on PACCAR Connect include remote software updates from the dashboard, PreDiagnostics that tell the dealer what to prepare before the truck arrives, and Smart Service Alerts. New on-board systems monitor fuel use and vehicle weight, and a drowsiness and distraction detection system warns the driver if their eyes leave the road for more than six seconds. From autumn 2026, all DAF trucks will carry a DTE (DAF Transport Efficiency) grille badge.

For construction fleet managers, the electric 8×4 with driven tandems is the headline. It moves battery-electric trucks from urban distribution towards the aggregates and earthmoving work that has so far been almost entirely diesel.

DAF Brought Electric Drive Closer to Construction Truck Fleets published on The HeavyQuip Magazine.