Schneider National says it’s the first major carrier to rack up 1 million miles (1.6 million km) using battery-electric vehicles hauling customer freight.

It operates nearly 100 Freightliner eCascadia Class 8 electric trucks at its Southern California Intermodal Operations Center, which also houses a charging depot half the size of a football field.

Schneider says it began running the trucks to haul customer freight in January. It also operates two electric yard tractors.

“We are driven by our commitment to sustainability and innovation to be one of the first carriers to embrace electric as a powerful solution for hauling freight,” said Schneider president and CEO Mark Rourke. “We believe in a future where clean technology helps transform the way we move goods and reduces our environmental footprint while still delivering on our promises of efficiency and reliability for customers. This milestone is just the first of many.”

“Three years ago, we tested the Freightliner eCascadia with Schneider in real-world test applications, and now they have already delivered goods on 1 million fully electric miles with their electric fleet. This is an important milestone, not just for Schneider, but for the industry as a whole,” said Daimler Truck North America senior vice-president of sales and marketing David Carson.