EVwire brief: Best Transportation, a Port Newark drayage company, has completed a two-week demonstration of the Tesla Semi, folding the electric Class 8 truck into its everyday operations.
Over the two weeks, the company's drivers hauled fully loaded containers through the Port of NY/NJ, ran deliveries across the region, and returned empty containers to terminals, all on the Semi. Best Transportation says the trial is a step toward adding more zero-emission trucks to its fleet.
At Best Transportation, we are focused on building a cleaner future by adding more zero-emission trucks to our fleet and reducing our carbon footprint, while also supporting the sustainability goals of our partners, the Port of NY/NJ, and our customers' supply chains.
Here's Best Transportation's announcement on LinkedIn:
Context:
Drayage is the short-haul work of moving shipping containers between a port and nearby terminals, warehouses, and customers. Those runs are exactly the kind of stop-start, regional-distance duty cycle the Tesla Semi is perfect for today, which makes a port operator a natural early adopter.
Best Transportation is no newcomer to this. Founded in 1982 and based in Port Newark, the company runs more than 100 of its own trucks and has been an EPA SmartWay partner since 2005. Back in 2019, it says it became the first carrier to move a container through the Port of NY/NJ with a fully electric Class A tractor from BYD, then added zero-emission Kalmar Ottawa terminal trucks the following year.
The Tesla Semi’s center driving position and spacious cabin have proven popular among drivers during test runs
The Semi run had been a long time coming. Best Transportation's own sustainability page flagged plans to test a Tesla Semi as far back as 2021. The demo adds to the growing number of US fleets putting the Semi to work.
ArcBest's ABF Freight recently bought two of the trucks after a 2025 pilot, and Tesla has kept signing up operators even as legacy truckmakers play down the Semi's threat. Tesla has also started laying the foundation for the Semi’s eventual ramp in Europe, with a fresh job listing for a Semi-related sales role.
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