01/18/2024

For Truckers Driving EVs, There’s no Going Back

Electric trucks still comprise only a tiny fraction of trucks on America's roads

Gary LaBush remembers the first time he sat behind the wheel of an electric Ford e-transit delivery truck at the Frito-Lay distribution center in Queens. Like most first-time EV truck drivers, LaBush wondered if the vehicle was actually on. "I was like, 'What’s going on?'" he said. "There was no noise — and no fumes."

Now, LaBush trains other drivers on how to operate a fleet of 40 delivery trucks at the Frito-Lay facility. The 49-year-old, who has worked at the company for over two decades, said he would struggle if he had to return to gas. "I wouldn't want to do it," he said. "After being in this — it's just night and day."

LaBush belongs to a small but growing group of commercial medium-to-heavy-duty truck drivers who use electric trucks. These drivers — many of whom operate local or regional routes that don’t require hundreds of miles on the road in a day — generally welcome the transition to electric, praising their new trucks' handling, acceleration, smoothness and quiet operation.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.