Hub motors make excellent sense in indoor forklifts, which are often electric anyway. The reduced weight is not so important there, because the forklift body needs to weigh enough, but moving to the wheels means there is more room for batteries. Size matters, in forklifts, which need to maneuver in tight spaces.
Trucks and trains are often not sprung, and can benefit from lighter, smaller,more efficient hub motors. Cooling is easier when the whole motor is moving through the air.
"The reduced weight is not so important there, because the forklift body needs to weigh enough"
More than the body needs to weigh enough, you need a proper center of gravity via weight distribution or you're simply going to tilt the thing over and wreck everything when you lift an object (source: have multiple sit/stand/clamp lift certifications.)
"Size matters, in forklifts, which need to maneuver in tight spaces."
That's why we made the reach forklift, which is operated while standing up. Half the footprint of a traditional forklift with the ability to reach out across a shelf to pick up a pallet.
Where this will make even more sense is for driving conveyor belts on assembly lines. You'll save more power there in a manufacturing warehouse environment than you typically will switching your entire forklift fleet over to these new motors.
Trucks and trains are often not sprung, and can benefit from lighter, smaller,more efficient hub motors. Cooling is easier when the whole motor is moving through the air.