DHL Supply Chain announced today that it has placed an order for ten of Tesla’s electric Class 8 Semi trucks.
DHL Supply, a subsidiary of Deutsche Post DHL Group, is one of the first third-party logistics companies to order the trucks. Walmart, JB Hunt and JK Moving Services have also committed to buying Tesla Semis which the company reports has a range of up to 500 miles.
“At DHL Supply Chain, we’re always thinking beyond today’s shipment – whether that be thinking about tomorrow, next month or two years from now when these trucks become available,” said Jim Monkmeyer, president of transportation at DHL Supply Chain North America. “This is a revolutionary approach to trucking, and we want to be a part of it for our customers, for our employees and for our industry.”
DHL Supply will test the trucks, which will be available in 2019, at its customer operations in major U.S. metro cities. The trucks will be used for shuttle deliveries and same-day customer deliveries, and will be tested for mileage efficiency on longer runs from major markets to other DHL operations across the country.
DHL Supply also plans to evaluate the trucks’ impact on drivers’ quality of life and job satisfaction. DHL Supply Chain’s 2017 talent gap research report highlights a supply chain talent gap that the company says has the potential to spiral into a severe driver shortage. According to the American Trucking Association, the shortage in drivers could double from 48,000 in 2015 to almost 100,000 in 2020.
“Factors like comfort and time on the road play a large role in driver job satisfaction,” added Monkmeyer. “While we always try to optimize transportation routes to allow our drivers to be home same-day, we’re also excited about the potential to bring our drivers the comfort and safety benefits that the Tesla Class 8 truck could offer.”
Deutsche Post DHL Group and Ford presented the first of their jointly produced electric delivery vans (e-van) in Cologne, Germany in August.Deutsche Post DHL Group says it plans on being the industry’s driver of electromobility and market leader in green logistics. Its e-mobility initiative is also part of its GoGreen program, an environmental protection project which Deutsche Post DHL Group hopes will make it the first logistics company to reduce all logistics-related emissions to net zero by 2050.
With 5,000 StreetScooter e-vehicles (electric vans), developed and manufactured in-house, and some 10,500 e-bikes and e-trikes, Deutsche Post DHL Group operates the largest electric fleet in Germany.
The company says that “for the good of the environment and its customers,” it plans to replace its entire mail and parcel delivery fleet in the mid-term with electric vehicles that are charged with electricity generated from renewable energy sources.
