With lengths of hauls declining and demand for urban deliveries rising, trucks spec’d for more close-in work might be a better bet. Chris Stadler, product marketing manager for regional haul at Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) will tell you that the reason the OEM embarked on an over two-year effort to develop a new regional truck platform – the VNR family, which replaces its old VNM model – centers around the recognition that freight distribution patterns are changing.