Saia LTL Freight, a national transportation and logistics provider, has received two Volvo VNR Electric trucks at its facility in Los Angeles.
The VNR Electrics from Volvo Trucks North America are the first zero tailpipe emission, battery-electric Class 8 trucks to be deployed in Saia’s fleet which provides regional freight distribution services throughout Southern California – as well as logistics services across the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico.
The Volvo VNR Electric trucks being leased to Saia by Volvo Financial Services (VFS) are part of the Volvo LIGHTS project – a collaboration between Volvo Trucks North America, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) and 12 other organizations – to develop a blueprint to successfully introduce battery-electric trucks and equipment into the North American transport industry at scale. The project includes a total of 17 leased VNR Electrics being placed into Southern California fleet operations.
“Volvo Trucks is pleased that Saia has chosen the VNR Electric as its first battery-electric model for regional freight transportation,” says Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “We are excited to partner with their team on this important first step toward fleet electrification and look forward to delivering the quality and reliability Saia requires to scale their zero-emission fleet in the future.”
Across the U.S., Saia has a fleet of nearly 5,000 trucks, including 350 in Southern California, that operate out of 170 terminals and transport more than 30,000 daily shipments to customers in a myriad of industrial and manufacturing sectors. Saia will leverage the firsthand insight gained by operating its two Volvo VNR Electrics to identify the ideal routes in which to integrate additional battery-electric trucks for its future operations.
To learn more about the Volvo LIGHTS project, click here.