Friday Short Haul - Thinking Electric, Penske Opens Charging Station, Border Crossing Crisis, Railroads Taking Trucking Business

In this Friday Short Haul we hear a recommendation to think about electric trucks, Penske opens an electric charging station, prices might increase because of the border crossing crisis, and railroads are taking business away from trucking companies.

Friday Short Haul - Thinking electric, Penske opens charging station, border crossing crisis, railroads taking trucking business

Apologies for forgetting to post this yesterday.

Thanks for the post Dave! One thing that caught my eye about the electric trucks was

Penske claims that an all-electric class 8 truck can be recharged from zero to fully recharged in less than a half a shift.

it doesnt say how many hours they consider a shift, but I'll just use 14. If it takes less than a full shift it would likely take 6 to 7 hours to charge. The only feasible way to charge the truck would be to do it on your 10 hour break but wouldnt that be HOS violation by moving the truck out of the charging area to allow another driver to plug in. I know it's unlikely to trip the drive line but you're still behind the wheel and if you'd hit something I'm sure it wouldnt be good. Over time batteries hold less of a charge so I wonder how they would handle a dead battery like that on the side of the road. Surely they're much larger than a typical battery so replacing on the side of the road doesnt seem likely. Maybe I missed it, but any idea how long you could go before needing to charge? Electric trucks seems like they'd be a lot more successful used by local drivers, however that wouldnt reduce emissions as much as regional or OTR.

Apologies for forgetting to post this yesterday.

We'll forgive you this time, but next time you're buying the refreshments for that softball game Bruce is organizing. Box haulers vs flat bedders

Thanks for the post Dave! One thing that caught my eye about the electric trucks was

Penske claims that an all-electric class 8 truck can be recharged from zero to fully recharged in less than a half a shift.

Maybe I missed it, but any idea how long you could go before needing to charge?

I recall reading somewhere that the class 8 tractors are good for about 300 miles, but that depends on conditions like weight, wind, uphill, etc. So, yes, still not ready for prime time.

Trying to imagine what a Engine Break will sound like on an electric Semi.....