DHL and Fortigo Freight Services are the latest fleet operators to announce orders for the Tesla Semi.
“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,” Jim Monkmeyer, President of Transportation at DHL Supply Chain, said in a release. “This is a revolutionary approach to trucking, and we want to be a part of it for our customers, for our associates and for our industry.”
DHL said it has ordered 10 of the trucks, while Canada’s Fortigo Freight has ordered more than one. The companies join early reservation holders J.B. Hunt, Wal-Mart, Loblaws and Ryder.
The Semi is slated to go into production in 2019 and will have a base price of $150,000.
DHL said they will use the trucks for shuttle runs and same-day customer deliveries, and will test for fuel efficiency on longer runs from major markets to other DHL operations across the country.
“Factors like comfort and time on the road play a large role in driver job satisfaction,” Monkmeyer said. “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.”