Climate change continues to be one of the most pressing issues of our age, one that compels every industry to consider making changes. For the commercial freight and transportation industry, that means finding cleaner ways to move cargo. An excellent place to start is with an electric terminal tractor. As we’ll explore in this blog, terminal tractors are the perfect choice for a company hoping to achieve zero truck emissions in the near future.
A Natural Fit
A common concern in the commercial freight industry when it comes to using battery-powered vehicles is endurance: namely, companies fear that the batteries on the market today cannot support long-distance transportation. While battery manufacturers work to address these concerns, terminal tractors today operate at a tempo that is much more complementary to the performance that batteries provide. Terminal tractors only travel a few miles total per work day (30 to 15 on an average day), meaning there is less demand placed on the battery to provide power for the vehicle. They also typically operate at low speeds, further reducing demand on the battery and improving overall endurance.
Another major point of synergy for electric-powered terminal tractors is their operating range. As terminal tractors are specialized in moving containers around a storage facility or terminal, they rarely if ever have to leave the confines of the facility. This, in turn, means that as long as there are charging stations at the facility, you will never have to worry about being out of range of a recharge.
In fact, electric-powered terminal tractors are perfect for “opportunity charging.” This means that whenever the driver is not currently using the truck, such as when they are on break or filling out paperwork, they can plug in the tractor for a quick charge to keep the battery topped off before resuming operations. Placing charging stations close to employee breakrooms or offices allows the company to be more efficient with time and get more out of their terminal tractors.
Growing Incentives to Change
As mentioned previously, there is a growing impetus to find cleaner methods of freight transportation around the world. State and federal government agencies are looking for ways to incentivize companies to switch to zero-emission methods. In this case, the stick is more stringent environmental regulations and penalties for those that cross carbon emission thresholds, and the carrot is tax breaks and incentives for those that make the change.
With electric batteries becoming more and more affordable, the time to make the switch to electric-powered terminal tractors is now.
If you’re looking for terminal tractors for sale, then please contact Route Ready Trucks. We specialize in used commercial vehicles, from terminal tractors, to grapple trucks, to used trash trucks for sale. All of our vehicles come with our industry-leading inspection and certification.
We can provide a garbage truck quote with a simple phone call or email request. Get in touch with us today, and find out how we can help you with your long-term trucking needs.