The North American Council for Freight Efficiency's 2025 Run on Less – Messy Middle fleet trials are taking place September 8-26. The evaluation program will allow independent, unbiased NACFE analysts to track trucks running on a variety of fuels, including diesel, renewable diesel, biodiesel, renewable natural gas, battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell.

There are a total of 13 fleets participating in Run on Less -- Messy Middle.

And Heavy Duty Trucking is profiling each fleet to highlight how these new fuels and technologies are performing in real-world fleet operations.

The first of the fleets HDT is featuring in this series is 4Gen Logistics, based in Rialto, California.

4Gen Logistics traces its roots back to 1943, when the Aguilar family began hauling freight out of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. 

Today, under the leadership of Dennis Aguilar and Brad Bayne, the company operates as one of the largest fully zero-emission drayage fleets in Southern California.

4Gen Logistics is one of the featured fleets participating in Run on Less: Messy Middle demonstration, which highlights the practical challenges and progress fleets face while transitioning to zero-emission operations. The nationwide event showcases how carriers are navigating the “messy middle” between diesel and fully electric or alternative-fuel fleets, providing real-world insights to the industry.

What sets 4Gen apart is not just the size of its fleet, but its rapid rate of transition. Out of 83 trucks in service, 64 are battery-electric, 15 are hydrogen fuel cell, and three are CNG, with only a handful of diesels left. The goal: a completely zero-tailpipe-emission fleet by the end of 2025.

Infrastructure First

Unlike many fleets that purchase zero-emission trucks before figuring out how to charge them, 4Gen flipped the model.

“Some people would invest in the truck first and then figure out charging,” said General Manager Dennis Aguilar. “We already had the charging in place and then moved forward with the trucks.”

Working with Electrify America, 4Gen developed a dual-depot charging strategy: a Port of Long Beach facility and a Rialto yard. Together, the sites are currently equipped with 60 high-power 350 kW chargers, with plans to scale up to 90 chargers across both locations. That capacity is designed not just to meet current fleet demand, but to grow with it.

On-the-Road Performance

Drivers report that electric trucks are holding up well in real-world drayage operations.

“The EV is super quiet. It’s a little faster than the diesel... by the time the diesel is into third gear, the EV has already taken off,” said veteran driver Alvaro Vacas.

The fleet serves drayage routes across the Inland Empire and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Typical operations run across two shifts, with route lengths ranging from 150 to 325 miles per day.

Looking Ahead

Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Brad Bayne summed up the company’s commitment:

“We love being on the cutting edge — or, as I like to say after going through this process, the bleeding edge. At this point, there’s no turning back for us. We made the goal of being completely zero-emission by the end of 2025, and that is our future.”

For our readers, 4Gen offers a real-world case study of what it takes to scale Class 8 zero-emission drayage: a strong vision, careful infrastructure planning, and the willingness to invest in both equipment and people.