Penske Deploys Battery Electric Truck with Core-Mark

READING, Pa., July 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Penske Truck Leasing's electric vehicle program welcomes long-time customer Core-Mark International, Inc. A leading consumer goods distributor, Core-Mark has aligned with Penske to deploy a battery electric Freightliner eCascadia into its fleet.

The class 8 electric vehicle is domiciled at Penske's Ontario, California, facility and is being used by Core-Mark to haul between 13,000 to 18,000 pounds of food and beverages to convenience stores, located in the outskirts of Los Angeles CA. Running approximately 130 miles four-days a week, the heavy duty electric vehicle makes 10 to 12 stops daily.

"It's exciting and rewarding to see our customers begin using these innovative electric vehicles in their operations," said Paul Rosa, senior vice president of procurement and fleet planning at Penske Truck Leasing. "We are all collectively learning from the multitude of use cases in which we have deployed EVs and Core-Mark's use of the vehicle are providing insights that will undoubtedly bring another level of understanding for our industry."

In 2018, Penske Truck Leasing and Daimler Trucks North America announced a partnership to test commercial electric trucks from their Freightliner brand in real-world situations and drive future improvements to the technology. In August 2019, Penske received the first eCascadia from the truck manufacturer. Just a few months later, Penske announced that it hit the 10,000 mile mark with the first eCascadia the company deployed.

The venture is supported by a partnership between Daimler Trucks North America and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) which focuses on improving air quality in large portions of Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including the Coachella Valley.

"Core-Mark is excited to be a part of this forward thinking EV pilot which aligns with the company's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. We are in constant pursuit of industry leading fleet technologies that offer added safety and comfort to our professional drivers, align with our focus on the environment and provide potential cost saving advantages," according to Brian Johnston, Sr. Director Transportation of Core-Mark.

The electric truck fleet is supported by a network of heavy-duty electric vehicle charging stations at six Penske Truck Leasing facilities in Southern California. Penske also performs preventive maintenance at these locations. 

About Penske Truck Leasing

Penske Truck Leasing is a Penske Transportation Solutions company headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania. A leading global transportation services provider, Penske Truck Leasing operates more than 327,000 vehicles and serves customers from more than 1,100 locations in North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Product lines include full-service truck leasing, contract maintenance, commercial and consumer truck rentals, used truck sales, transportation and warehousing management and supply chain management solutions. Visit www.pensketruckleasing.com to learn more.

About Core-Mark

Core-Mark is one of the largest marketers of fresh, food and broad-line supply solutions to convenience retailers in North America. Founded in 1888, Core-Mark offers a full range of products, marketing programs and technology solutions to approximately 42,000 customer locations in the U.S. and Canada through 32 distribution centers (excluding two distribution facilities the Company operates as a third-party logistics provider). Core-Mark services traditional convenience stores, grocers, drug stores, mass merchants, liquor and specialty stores, and other stores that carry convenience products. For more information, please visit www.core-mark.com.

SOURCE Penske Truck Leasing