Unexpected downtime is every fleet owner’s worst nightmare.
A disabled truck stranded on the side of the road creates a chain reaction of cost and inconvenience.
A driver who might be paid per mile has been temporarily prevented from earning his or her wage. A shipment the truck is carrying has been delayed. The fleet manager must arrange a roadside repair or a tow depending on the nature of the repair or the truck’s distance from the nearest service station – a significant cost on its own. Finally, a key asset is sidelined and unprofitable while those repairs are made.
Apr 15, 2021
Past SuperTruck concepts from Volvo, Navistar and Freightliner involved diesel powertrains, principally. The third funding opportunity from the DOE for the SuperTruck program prioritizes battery-electric, hydrogen and hydrogen fuel-cell power plants across truck size spectrums.
One of two experienced operators serving on a distinguished panel today summed up many owner-operators thoughts about major technology advances after U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced a third round of Super Truck funding.
Joel Morrow, driver and specifications manager with small-mid-size fleet Ploger Transportation, stressed the importance of ensuring that the latest technologies are ready for the real world.
Joining Morrow and Granholm on the panel were Clark Reed, driver with Nussbaum Transportation; two other federal officials; and North American Council for Freight Efficiency Executive Director MIke Roeth.
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As the Biden administration attempts a hard turn toward electrifying transportation, small, independent owner-operators who represent the vast majority of trucks on the road fear that the cost of moving in that direction could put them out of business.
But commercial drivers participating in the U.S. Department of Energy s (DOE) Super Truck program geared toward reducing emissions are trying to convince them otherwise. Early on when we had emission-system truck rollouts, a lot of smaller fleets and owner-operators took it on the chin out in the field, Joel Morrow, a driver for Norwalk, Ohio-based Ploger Transportation, explained during a virtual presentation sponsored by DOE on Thursday announcing the start of SuperTruck 3.
Alleviating cost fears in Biden’s electric-truck push
Department of Energy’s latest SuperTruck initiative seeks buy-in from ‘grassroots’ truckers
0 33 2 minutes read DOE counting on electric trucks to get industry to zero emissions by 2050. (Photo: Daimler Trucks North America)
As the Biden administration attempts a hard turn toward electrifying transportation, small, independent owner-operators who represent the vast majority of trucks on the road fear that the cost of moving in that direction could put them out of business.
But commercial drivers participating in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Super Truck program geared toward reducing emissions are trying to convince them otherwise.
David Schaller
Member since: 2020
Electric/hybrid MD & HD commercial trucks are just entering the marketplace. With over 3 decades of experience introducing new technologies to the trucking industry, it is a pleasure to be part of the NACFE helping to make this transition more impactful. We have already published literature at Electric Trucks - North American Council for Freight Efficiency (nacfe.org) and I am now setting up workshops to bring fleets, dealerships, suppliers, OEMs, utilities and charging system companies together to collaborate. For 2021, NACFE will be showcasing 13 different battery electric trucks with 13 different fleets as part of Run On Less - Electric: Run On Less: Presented by NACFE and RMI The demonstration will include a 10 session bootcamp on electric trucks: Run On Less: Electric Truck Education