Fleetmaster Express Plans Electric Fleet Transition
Fleetmaster Express has ordered 10 Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 trucks as part of the Virginia-based company’s plan to transition from a diesel fleet to an electric one.
Left to right: Fleetmaster Express COO Travis Smith, CEO Carl Bumgarner, VP of Operations Kevin Hite and Director of Maintenance Bill Wolven.
Photo: Fleetmaster Express
Fleetmaster Express has ordered 10 Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 trucks as part of the Virginia-based company’s plan to transition from a diesel fleet to an electric one.
The first two trucks of the orders are expected to be delivered between late November and early December. The trucks will be operating out of Fleetmaster Express’s Fort Worth, Texas, terminal.
“There is about a 40% increase in efficiency using electric rather than diesel fuel,” Fleetmaster officials said in a press release. “The savings in fuel will outweigh the cost in electricity by a substantial amount.”
Fleetmaster Express recently tested the trucks at Volvo’s plant in Greensboro, North Carolina, along with Nacarato Truck Centers.
Fleetmaster Express and Volvo have engineering teams that have been able to track the performance and efficiency of the electric trucks during these studies, company officials said.
Fleetmaster Express’s goal is to have a total of 18 units deployed by the end of next year and to keep the progress moving forward.
“Our goal is to create a better environment as we deploy these trucks” said Travis Smith, chief operating officer of Fleetmaster Express and Englander Transportation.
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