Sysco Receives First Battery-Electric Truck

Foodservice distribution company Sysco received its first series-produced battery electric Freightliner eCascadia, adding to the company's existing private fleet.

Sysco’s first zero-emission Class 8 truck was presented to Marie Robinson, Sysco’s executive vice president and chief supply chain officer, at the Daimler Truck manufacturing plant in Portland, Oregon. The company’s first Freightliner eCascadia is expected to operate at Sysco’s Riverside, California site, which will receive additional eCascadias in the coming months.

“The Daimler Truck team has been a great partner to Sysco as we have worked to electrify our fleet and we’re thrilled to receive our first battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia truck,” said Robinson in a statement. “This zero-emission tractor is powerful, quiet, and importantly, very comfortable to drive. That means it’s not only good for the planet, but it will improve the driving experience for thousands of our delivery partners.”

Earlier this year, Sysco and DTNA announced plans to deploy up to 800 battery electric Freightliner eCascadias by 2026. The deployment of Freightliner eCascadias along with electric refrigerated trailers will play a significant role in achieving Sysco’s science-based climate goal.

“Sysco is proud to be leading the industry with our science-based climate goal to significantly reduce our direct emissions by 27.5%,” added Neil Russell, Sysco’s senior vice president of corporate affairs and chief communications officer. “Today is a major milestone in our climate journey as we work toward electrifying 35% of our U.S. fleet by 2030. Sharing the vision and responsibility with similarly-minded companies like Daimler Truck North America is crucial in moving toward a sustainable future.”

Sysco Riverside continues to build its charging infrastructure to support additional battery electric truck deployments, including adding additional solar capacity.

In pre-series production and real-world testing, prototypes of the eCascadia accumulated about 1.5 million miles of use in customer fleets since 2018. Revealed in May of 2022, the eCascadia debuts the innovative Detroit ePowertrain, in addition to new safety and connectivity features from Detroit Assurance and Detroit Connect.