Getting Electric

We first started running our electric truck at our Los Angeles terminal a year ago and after some initial hurdles, it is finally operating daily. It is a Peterbilt truck with Meritor electric components. We actually got it from Meritor and it is one of only 12 total currently running. We should spend only about 15% of the cost of diesel to run to charge it and it has more torque and power then a diesel truck. However it is very heavy and has a long wheel base due to the batteries, so not great for in town driving but great for highways. It also only has a 120 mile range, so not quite a long-haul yet! But we anticipate the batteries getting better and lighter as the years go by and are excited to update our equipment as the technology evolves. Getting our hands on an electric vehicle has been a great learning experience for the whole team.

The 3 Yard Electric Yard goats that we purchased are production vehicles and have taken the place of our diesel yard goats. This seems to be a good application for electric vehicles within Oak Harbor Freight Lines. The electric yard goats will save us on fuel and maintenance. Additionally, they are quieter and easy to operate with plenty of power.

The future of electric is coming fast and we are excited to take these steps to see how electric vehicles can work for a freight Company like Oak Harbor Freight Lines.