J.B. Hunt Transport Services added a Class 8 electric Freightliner eCascadia truck to haul Daimler Truck North America aftermarket parts in Arizona, the companies announced last week.
The battery-electric truck will carry the parts from a Phoenix distribution center to dealers along a 100-mile route, the announcement said. Daimler installed a Detroit eFill charger at the distribution center — its first EV truck charger at any such facility — to facilitate the transition, the company said.
“This solution with DTNA is a great example of our commitment to supporting customers’ efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and work towards energy transition,” said Greer Woodruff, J.B. Hunt EVP of safety, sustainability and maintenance, in a statement.
The trucking OEM described the route electrification as a “milestone” and the first all-electric route in the DTNA aftermarket parts distribution network. The move’s benefits include significantly reducing carbon emissions and setting a precedent for future sustainable outbound logistics operations, Daimler said.
EV truck adoption remains sluggish across the industry, however, as carriers express doubts about the feasibility of battery-electric vehicles’ ability to meet their needs, particularly for long-haul loads. Trucking interests have lobbied for further consideration of hydrogen fuel cell, renewable diesel and other alternatives in emissions rules.
Woodruff, who succeeded retiring J.B. Hunt legend Craig Harper this year, has traveled to meet with employees at facilities around the country. Drivers have told him they “really enjoyed their in-cab experience” in the several eCascadias J.B. Hunt owns and operates on its customers’ behalf, Woodruff said in the announcement.
“As customer interest continues to grow, we are here to enable their pursuit for a more sustainable supply chain in the most economic means possible,” Woodruff said.
