DHL Supply Chain Eyes Fleet of Tesla Semis
Carrier Expects to Add Zero-Emissions Tractors from Multiple Brands
Key Takeaways:
- DHL Supply Chain took delivery of the first of the battery-electric trucks earlier in December.
- The unit of DHL Group currently has more 150 Class 8 battery-electric trucks operating across the United States.
- Deliveries are expected to begin from the second half of 2026 onward.
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expects to add multiple tractors to its U.S. Class 8 fleet in the coming 12 months as part of long-term, companywide plans to decarbonize the logistics giant’s fleet.
The DHL Group division took delivery of the first of the battery-electric trucks earlier in December.
DHL Supply Chain currently has more 150 Class 8 battery-electric trucks operating across the United States, the company said.
The first Tesla Semi is based out of Livermore, Calif., , DHL Supply Chain vice president of GoGreen, North America told Transport Topics. The Livermore facility does not have any other battery-electric trucks, he added.
The Semi is traveling about 100 miles per day, requires charging about once per week and offers a range of up to 500 miles fully loaded.
DHL operates 20 battery-electric trucks in California overall, and the carrier plans to add more Semis in 2026 as Tesla begins volume production. DHL has “more than just a handful” of trucks on order with Tesla, Schablinski told TT, adding: “We can’t wait to put them into operation.”
Deliveries are expected to begin from the second half of 2026 onward, the executive said, adding that DHL wants to operate the Semi tractors outside California as well, noting Ohio and Pennsylvania as possibilities.
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“One hundred fifty trucks is not the end of our story. We want to scale it up even more,” Schablinski said, adding that DHL has no target for how many battery-electric trucks it will be operating at the end of 2026.
But by 2030, DHL intends for 66% of its last-mile delivery fleet to be battery-electric or another type of zero-emissions technology. Some 30% of its fleet’s medium- and heavy-duty trucks is expected to be battery electric or another zero-emissions technology by 2030.
The first Semi joined DHL’s operations after a 2024 pilot based out of Livermore, where the truck covered more than 3,000 miles of regular routes. During testing, the truck averaged 1.72 kilowatt-hours per mile while hauling a gross combined weight of 75,000 pounds over a 390-mile longhaul route.
Greater Opportunities
“Our pilot of the Tesla Semi exceeded expectations, proving its ability to efficiently haul a typical DHL freight over long distances on a single charge,” Jim Monkmeyer, president of transportation at DHL Supply Chain North America, said in a statement.
“That was the moment that we thought this is a product that we can use in our operations in the future,” Schablinski said. “The Semi allows us to step into opportunities and businesses that we couldn’t step into previously. We can cover much more with our fleet.”
ArcBest’s ABF Freight less-than-truckload division carried out a pilot with an overall energy consumption of 1.55 kWh per mile in 2025. Tesla unveiled updates to the Semi at 2025’s Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in April after previous pilots.
ArcBest’s ABF Freight less-than-truckload division carried out a pilot with an overall energy consumption of 1.55 kilowatt hour per mile in 2025. (ArcBest)
The lower an energy consumption rating, the greater the return a carrier gets out of a battery-electric truck. Tesla pitches the Semi by promising energy consumption of less than 2 kWh per mile.
Historically, Class 8 tractors have a range of less than 250 miles on one charge.
Potential customers have been anticipating the launch of serial production of the Semi with varying degrees of excitement.
On Oct. 22, Tesla Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy had said that the start of serial production of the Semi remained on schedule for late 2025 with a ramp up to capacity in 2026.
More Than 1 Basket
Still, DHL is not putting all its battery-electric eggs in one basket.
The company currently does not have any Classes 4-7 battery-electric trucks, focusing initially on Class 8 equipment, Schablinski said. DHL expects to use a portfolio of brands, he said, adding: “There’s not one silver bullet.”
DHL needs single-axle tractors, multi-axle tractors, day cabs, straight trucks, and refrigerated trucks and trailers, he said.
In addition, “not every piece of equipment can be electrified,” he said, so the company will look at other zero-emission options, too.
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“We are technology and brand agnostic,” he said. “It’s more about finding technologies that are right for us.”
For now, though, that will not include fuel cell electric vehicle hydrogen trucks, Schablinski told TT.
DHL partnered with the now bankrupt FCEV truck manufacturer Nikola Corp. in 2024 to deploy two Tre FCEVs at Diageo North America’s Plainfield, Ill., campus.
Ahead of deploying the trucks, DHL and the beverage giant did a lot of research, Schablinski told TT at the time.
But DHL has hit the pause button on FCEV adoption. “It’s maybe not the right time for that technology,” Schablinski said. “I’m convinced that there will be a revival, but it will not be anytime soon.”
Truck manufacturers Daimler Group and Volvo Group plan to launch serial production of FCEV tractors in the early 2030s.
DHL Supply Chain ranks No. 13 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest logistics companies in North America and No. 5 on the TT Top 50 list of the largest global freight companies.
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