Schneider Adds Electric Terminal Tractors

Schneider has added two Lonestar Specialty Vehicles battery-electric terminal tractors to its electric fleet, which now includes 94 vehicles.

The Lonestar electric S22 terminal tractors, also sometimes known as yard spotters, are used to move trailers at Schneider’s Rancho Cucamonga, California, cross dock. The battery-electric tractors replaced two diesel units.

Each battery-electric tractor can run for a 24-hour period before needing to be recharged, and reaching a full charge takes an estimated hour and a half, according to Schneider.

Truck CO2 Reduction

“Implementing these tractors is a massive achievement as we move toward operating zero-emission vehicles at scale,” said Jake VandeLoo, Schneider vice president of equipment engineering, in a release.

Schneider reports the new tractors will save an estimated 35 tons of CO2 per truck each year.

“Scaling an electrified fleet requires intensive preparation,” said Lonestar President Jay Simmons.

Terminal tractors are restricted to yard operations or very short shuttles, which means they help lower the barriers to entry for a fleet to switch to electric vehicles.

“When charging is performed on breaks and shift changes in the yard, ‘range anxiety’ and other infrastructure complications associated with over-the-road vehicles are eliminated,” he said.

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency has reported that battery-electric yard tractors make sense as a stepping-stone for fleets interested in BEVs for fleet applications.

Electric Truck Fleet

The bulk of Schneider’s electric fleet, 92 of 94 vehicles, operates from the South El Monte, California, facility. According to an earlier report by HDT, the Freightliner eCascadia Class 8 tractors will provide intermodal and short-haul services that keep them within 80 to 100 miles of the charging base each day.

Schneider said its collaboration with Lonestar is another essential investment to support the company’s long-term sustainability goals and continuous growth of its electric fleet to better the industry and the environment.