With the shortage of truckers on the forefront of the industry’s mind both in 2018 and in 2019 as a massive issue, there seems to be an even bigger problem lurking in the horizon: green energy. While fully autonomous trucking is a hot button issue right now for an industry that is hurting for more drivers, going green addresses a different set of problems that are currently plaguing the industry.

At the recent Green Truck Summit, Michael Berube, acting deputy assistant secretary for sustainable energy efficiency and renewable energy at the DOE, revealed an interesting statistic regarding current trucking freight patterns.

Currently, half of the goods by weight move less than 100 miles from their origin to destination with 3/4 of all freight moving less than 250. Couple that with 1.2 billion hours lost annually due to truckers being caught in congestions, you find that it amounts to nearly 425,000 truckers sitting idly by instead of being able to do their jobs. A stunning conclusion in light of the current shortage of truckers that numbers close to 50,000.

These statistics show that there should be and will be a need for all-electric solutions to short range trucking, while not so readily available or feasible for long-haul truckers. The price for consumer electric vehicles has come down drastically in the last two decade, and the expectation is that the trucking industry will follow suit, making electric a more financially viable option. The DOE is currently working on their SuperTruck II program which is looking to create a more efficient freight system than what is now operating in the US. These advances in trucking could save freight companies millions along with passing the savings along to a rapidly growing consumer market who expect their online shopping experience to operate just as efficiently.

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