RoadOne IntermodaLogistics has put its first Tesla Semi into regular service in California. The Class 8 electric truck is now running freight in the Oakland area as part of RoadOne’s short-haul operations.
The company, based in Randolph, Massachusetts, handles port drayage and logistics across the United States and says this first unit is the start of a broader shift toward battery-electric trucks. RoadOne operates nationwide, yet the early deployment is focused on Northern California routes linked to Tesla’s production footprint.
Oakland freight focus and expansion plan
The Tesla Semi is serving routes between RoadOne’s Oakland operations and Tesla’s Fremont plant, moving heavy aluminum coil loads used in vehicle stamping. These are relatively short but demanding lanes that require frequent trips and tight delivery windows.
RoadOne plans to grow this pilot into a fleet of up to 10 Tesla Semis in the Oakland market if performance and economics stay on track.
Company officials report that the Tesla Semi in RoadOne service reaches 60 mph in roughly 20 seconds when fully loaded, in line with Tesla’s published figures. The truck is operating with payloads averaging about 38,000 pounds and has been recorded at an energy use of about 1.9 kWh per mile in real freight work.
Tesla markets the Semi with an advertised range of up to 500 miles on a single charge for the long-range version, and company materials state energy consumption remains below 2 kWh per mile. The truck can accept more than 1.2 megawatts of charging power on dedicated high-capacity chargers.
Other fleets report similar or better efficiency figures, which gives context to RoadOne’s results. ArcBest, for example, cited about 1.55 kWh per mile during a three-week test covering 4,494 miles, while DHL recorded roughly 1.72 kWh per mile on a longer route with a gross combined weight of around 75,000 pounds.
A decade of work with Tesla
RoadOne’s move into electric trucking sits on top of more than ten years of work with Tesla’s supply chain. The partnership started around 2012 with container deliveries of aluminum coils that were then transloaded and moved to Tesla’s Fremont stamping plant.
Over time, RoadOne expanded that activity into a just-in-time storage and delivery program for metal coils. Company filings indicate that RoadOne manages on-site inventories of aluminum and steel coils and runs multi-shift deliveries to keep stamping operations supplied.
In that context, the electric truck rollout looks like the latest stage in a long-running logistics partnership rather than a standalone trial. It also offers Tesla another data point from a third-party carrier using the Semi in daily work, beyond the manufacturer’s own internal fleet.
Company statement
“We are thrilled to welcome the first of what could be up to ten fully-electric semi-trucks into our fleet,” said Eric Weakley, senior vice president of operations at RoadOne IntermodaLogistics. “This investment reflects our commitment to efficient, environmentally responsible logistics solutions. By offering a sustainable, low-emissions option we’re not only strengthening our service, but also contributing to a cleaner and more resilient supply chain.”
Large logistics operators across North America are starting to make similar moves, though volumes remain modest compared with diesel fleets. DHL, for instance, took delivery of its first Tesla Semi in late 2025 after a pilot period and has indicated plans for more units over the next few years.
PepsiCo has deployed several dozen Tesla Semis at a bottling facility in Sacramento, and filings and public statements link other orders or early units to companies such as Walmart, Costco and Sysco. Data from California’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project suggest that Tesla Semi requests account for more than 80% of all Class 8 battery-electric truck vouchers in the state so far, with about 892 vouchers requested or issued.
Production ramp and outlook for 2026
Tesla is preparing a dedicated Semi production facility near its Nevada battery plant, where executives say mass production is planned to start in 2026. Public statements from the company describe a target capacity of up to 50,000 Semis per year once the plant is fully ramped, though actual output will depend on demand and battery supply.
Construction on the roughly 1.7-million-square-foot facility has largely finished on the exterior, and work is under way on internal systems, tooling and production lines, according to Tesla’s program lead Dan Priestley. At the same time, Tesla and partners are developing a network of high-capacity charging sites, with around 46 locations in progress across major freight corridors and industrial zones and more than 300 megawatt-capable stalls planned.
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