Could There Be A Future For Electric Trucks?

Demand for reliable haulage companies is exceptionally high, but does the industry have enough vehicles to cope with such unpredictable volumes? 

If hauliers aren’t trying their best to recruit extra pairs of hands, truck drivers are having to increase their working hours to keep up with ever-growing demand. 

Either option means fuel consumption is on the rise and hauliers will inevitably have to fork out more money to keep this up. 

But for just how long can they keep this up? 

So ultimately, you have to ask, could there be a future for electric trucks? 

Lorry Traffic Patterns in UK

While there has always been a steady incline in road haulage traffic, the last 12 months have seen a massive increase in lorries on British roads. 

As the national lockdown is lifted, millions of people and businesses are relying on pallet delivery services more than ever before. 

The aftermath of one of the country's biggest economic crises has seen Brits determined to get back on their feet once again. 

But of course, a little help importing and exporting their goods is much needed. 

And who do they turn to for said help? Pallet couriers, of course. 

Now are you ready for some honest statistics? 

It’s not hard to believe that the number of lorries on UK roads has increased by 0.3% over the last year. 

Just to put that into a much wider perspective, the number of cars and lorries on British roads was almost identical 10 years ago. 

Remember your last motorway journey; did it look like cars were outnumbered by lorries? 

How e-Commerce Has Impacted Pallet Shipping

E-commerce is at the very core of every online business. 

It is the b-all and end-all of running a website and selling your goods online. 

But the more customers you gain, the more goods you may have to ship. 

So, you’re probably wondering how shipping goods ties in with E-commerce, right? 

Well, as you know, circumstances can change when we least expect them to. 

Take, for example, the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the national government ban on visiting high street businesses during lockdown. 

This ban only encouraged high street shoppers to shop online, buying what they want safely from the comfort of their home. 

But this is not the only event that has impacted E-commerce. Many things have indeed boosted and hindered online sales over the years! 

That aside, with online sales through the roof, E-commerce is a thriving success for millions of businesses across the country. 

With this in mind, businesses are heavily reliant on pallet courier services to ship goods out to their customers safely and on time. 

Those pallet delivery companies are then having to out-source more drivers to keep up with the new scale of demand. 

Do More Drivers Mean Longer Hours? 

Pallet delivery networks need to come up with the best solution to handle the surge in demand for reliable pallet services. 

But you have to question what the best solution is. 

While recruiting more drivers will help avoid pushing the limits with working hours for those already in the industry, this would come at a significant cost. 

On the other hand, there’s only so many hours a trucker can work before they run on empty - let’s be honest, we all need a break now and then! 

Arguably the best solution is electric trucks. 

As more people are sending a pallet, more trucks are needed to deliver those goods. 

And more trucks means more fuel; and more fuel money! 

At some point in the very near-future, hauliers are likely to slash the cost of fuelling their trucks by gradually switching to electric trucks instead. 

European Commission and Their Plan For Electric Trucks

With a little help from the European Commission, there are big plans to build at least 10,000 electric truck charging points across Europe. 

According to the EC, these will be installed mainly at truck depots, hubs and along every motorway in Europe over the next 4 years. 

But will all hauliers trust electric trucks? 

Perhaps not right away, but they will learn to trust electric trucks when they prove to be as beneficial as people claim they are. 

And of course, hauliers are not likely to replace every existing truck with electric options. 

It’s hard to imagine thousands of electric trucks flying along the main roads without running out of battery mid-way through their journey! 

As pallet couriers are known to travel quite some distance, they need to be certain that their drivers can travel far without constantly needing to recharge their battery packs. 

Plus, there needs to be plenty of charging points! 

That way, there's no wasting time waiting for other drivers to charge up.