IMC Logistics is adding 50 Tesla Semis to its California fleet, putting Standard Range models in port drayage and Long Range models on lanes between Southern California and inland destinations.
The intermodal drayage provider announced the order in a release on Sept. 22. It did not disclose how many of each model it ordered or when all 50 trucks will enter service.
Jim Gillis, Pacific Region president at IMC Logistics, said in the release that the company is taking a blended approach to sustainability in its drayage operations.
“The addition of 50 Tesla Semis strengthens that strategy as well as allows IMC to establish zero-emission service for long haul lanes,” Gillis said.
The Standard Range Semi is rated for 325 miles and the Long Range for 500 miles at 82,000 pounds fully loaded, according to Tesla specifications announced during its inauguration event at its Semi factory in Sparks, Nev. The 1.7 million-square-foot plant is designed to build 50,000 trucks a year. DHL, PepsiCo and US Foods took early deliveries.
The IMC announcement comes against a backdrop of growing Tesla Semi orders for drayage applications. WattEV ordered 370 Tesla Semis in May to run from its charging stations at the Port of Oakland and Fresno, with the first 50 due in 2026 and full deployment by the end of 2027. In September, Tesla was named primary manufacturer on a 2,500-truck electric order through ZET SCALE, a shipper-carrier alliance whose founding shippers include Microsoft and PepsiCo. Los Angeles is among the 10 freight hubs that order targets first.
Hydrogen trucks already in the fleet
These EV trucks will augment an existing mixed fleet. IMC runs battery-electric, hydrogen fuel-cell and renewable-diesel trucks in California. In March 2024, the company bought 50 Nikola hydrogen fuel-cell trucks with a 500-mile range to expand its service area, and it was running Volvo battery-electric trucks at the time, CCJ reported. Gillis called the strategy a “blended approach to investing in both electric and hydrogen.”
Tesla’s Long Range Semi is rated for the same 500 miles on a battery.
Nikola filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2025. By late June of that year, 40 of IMC’s 50 Nikola trucks were running and 10 were offline, Gillis told Transport Topics. He said the price of hydrogen had climbed from $7.50 to $29 per kilogram.
“Our commitment was to keep the trucks running. So, we took it on the chin with the increased fuel cost,” Gillis told the publication.
IMC’s sustainability page lists a goal of replacing all of its diesel tractors in California by 2028.
Brian Kobza, chief commercial officer at IMC Logistics, wrote in a LinkedIn comment that electric trucks may not fit every Class 8 application today but “are proving viable in specific use cases where the infrastructure and incentives align.” He said IMC’s West Coast deployments show zero-emission trucks can work in drayage with the right operating model, charging network and financial support.
“The future of trucking is likely a mix of diesel, electric, and hydrogen, each solving different problems,” Kobza wrote. “The key is letting operational results, not ideology, drive adoption.”
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