DHL Supply Chain has taken delivery of its first Tesla Semi, marking a significant step forward in its strategy to scale up heavy-duty electric vehicles across North America. The company confirmed that the first unit is now fully operational following an extensive pilot programme that tested the truck on real freight routes in California.
The Tesla Semi was deployed from DHL’s Livermore facility, where it completed more than 5,000 km of live operations with customer freight. During the testing phase, the vehicle handled up to 34 metric tonnes of cargo and achieved a 625-km single-charge run while fully loaded. DHL reports that the truck averaged 1.72 kWh per mile under load, reinforcing its potential for both emissions reduction and energy efficiency.
With a range of up to 500 miles, the vehicle has moved into daily operation and currently completes around 100 miles of freight activity per day. According to DHL, the Semi requires charging approximately once per week due to the relatively short-haul nature of the current route.
The company estimates that each Tesla Semi introduced into service can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by approximately 50 metric tonnes per year. The move is part of DHL’s broader fleet strategy, which includes more than 150 Class 8 electric trucks already operating in North America.
Other Logistics Operators Turning to the Tesla Semi
DHL is far from alone in exploring battery-electric heavy trucks. Several major logistics and freight operators have placed orders or begun pilot deployments of the Tesla Semi. UPS has reportedly ordered 125 units, while PepsiCo and its Frito-Lay division remain among the largest early adopters with around 100 trucks reserved. Food-distribution giant Sysco, brewer Anheuser-Busch and retailers such as Walmart have also committed to the vehicle. In the freight sector, operators including WattEV and Saia have taken delivery of initial units for commercial trials. The growing spread of orders across parcel carriers, retailers, manufacturers and trucking-as-a-service providers underlines a wider shift toward electrified long-haul operations across the logistics industry.
DHL plans to further expand its electric heavy-duty fleet in 2026, aligning with Tesla’s expected increase in production volumes. The company says the deployment of the Tesla Semi supports its long-term environmental goals and reflects growing customer demand for sustainable freight solutions.
As one of the world’s largest contract logistics providers, DHL Supply Chain’s endorsement of the Tesla Semi represents an important milestone for the adoption of electric heavy-duty trucking – a segment that many in the industry see as critical to realising net-zero supply chains.
Parcels, planeloads, and packed shipping containers are what people typically associate with DHL Group. However, this only scratches the surface of what the company delivers throughout the year. Here are just five of the most extraordinary shipments the global market leader in logistics handled in 2025.
Rare Antelopes Go Home
13,000 kilometers for survival: In February 2025, DHL transported 17 mountain bongo antelopes from a conservation center in Loxahatchee, Florida, to a wildlife sanctuary on the slopes of Mount Kenya, Africa’s second-highest peak. These animals are descendants of mountain bongos relocated from Kenya in the 1970s. Today, after decades of poaching, habitat loss, and forest degradation, the species is critically endangered, with fewer than 100 surviving in the wild. To ensure the Florida bongos’ safety and comfort on their journey, DHL provided a dedicated flight equipped with custom-built crates supplied by a wildlife protection organization. The animals received continuous care from a veterinarian and two bongo specialists. Their new sanctuary offers a secure environment where they can breed and thrive. Their offspring will one day return to the wild, reclaiming Mount Kenya’s forests as their natural home.
A Far-Traveled Helmet Meets Michael Schumacher
From Switzerland to Brazil, a helmet like no other embarked on a tour across continents in March 2025. On its journey, the helmet was signed by all 20 living Formula 1® world champions, becoming a unique piece of motorsport history. One signature was particularly moving: Michael Schumacher’s, the seven-time world champion who has withdrawn from public life since his severe skiing accident in 2013. His wife, Corinna, helped guide his hand to write his initials, “M.S.”, on the helmet – a gesture that resonated deeply with fans around the world. A replica of the helmet was later featured as a raffle prize to help fund the “Race Against Dementia” charity. Founded by three-time Formula 1® champion Sir Jackie Stewart, the organization funds research into prevention and treatments for dementia – a cause close to his heart after his wife’s diagnosis. Under strict security measures, DHL transported the helmet from Switzerland to the homes of multiple champions so they could add their signatures. The route included stops in Ibiza in Spain, London in the UK, and Brasília in Brazil.
Bear Sculptures on a Journey
When art goes on tour: In June 2025, 151 life-sized bear sculptures embarked on a journey of about 10,000 kilometers from Wustermark near Berlin to Singapore. Crafted from weather-resistant fiberglass, each sculpture stands about two meters tall. Known as the “United Buddy Bears”, this colorful art project was launched in Berlin in 2002 to spread a message of peace and tolerance. Every bear is painted by an artist from a different country, symbolizing that nation’s culture and identity. DHL oversaw the secure transport of these valuable artworks. Weighing a total of 37 tons, the shipment was packed into eight sea containers, loaded by crane onto trucks, and transported to the Port of Hamburg. From there, the bears began their sea voyage to Singapore, where they were displayed for two months, continuing their mission of promoting international understanding.
A Young Baboon Moves
An unusual passenger boarded a DHL flight from Bahrain to Djibouti, East Africa, in November 2025 – Saadoon, a young male baboon. He was found abandoned and in critical condition in Bahrain in 2024, at just three months old, in a country where baboons are not native. Saadoon was a victim of illegal wildlife trade. After more than a year of intensive care by an animal welfare organization, he needed an environment suited to his species. Djibouti’s climate and ecosystem offered exactly that. DHL flew Saadoon from Muharraq in Bahrain to Djibouti airport, where he was transferred to a specialized refuge near Djibouti City. Custom boxes, veterinary oversight, and an accompanying animal welfare representative minimized stress during the flight. Now living in a sanctuary tailored to his needs, Saadoon shares a new home with a female baboon, essential for social bonding among these intelligent primates. His new surroundings give him a chance to adapt and, hopefully, live freely one day.
South America’s Iconic Club Football Trophy
In November 2025, DHL delivered the iconic trophy for the CONMEBOL Libertadores Final, South America’s most prestigious club football showdown. The journey began at CONMEBOL’s headquarters in Luque, Paraguay, and ended in Lima, Peru, where the decisive match took place on November 29. Standing alongside Europe’s UEFA Champions League, the CONMEBOL Libertadores brings together the best clubs from across South America, each chasing the ultimate prize and the privilege to represent the continent at the FIFA Club World Cup. Known for its electrifying atmosphere and passionate fans, the final is a sports highlight watched by millions worldwide. As CONMEBOL’s Official Logistics Partner, DHL ensured the trophy’s safe and timely arrival. Roughly one meter in height, it traveled in a custom metallic case with a special security lock and was handled exclusively with gloves to preserve its flawless shine. Even sealed inside the case, the trophy sparked excitement – fans who spotted it often gathered to snap photos and share the moment. This year, Flamengo of Rio de Janeiro claimed the trophy after an unforgettable all-Brazilian clash against Palmeiras of São Paulo.
Supplying some of the world’s largest automotive and aviation brands with high-quality leather is a demanding business, requiring a robust forklift truck fleet capable of operating at peak performance in the harshest of industrial environments. Rushlift provides the full-support solution.
Scottish Leather Group is a family-owned, business built on supplying sustainable high-quality products to many of the world’s leading companies in the aviation, automotive, bus, coach and rail industries, as well as the luxury goods and furniture design sectors. High-profile customers include: Aston Martin, Polestar, Jaguar Land Rover, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Ryanair and Irish Rail.
The business prides itself on its pursuit of operational excellence, with a combination of Six Sigma techniques, exacting sustainability standards and a strong emphasis on workplace safety – having achieved award-winning safety performance and RoSPA Gold recognition. Maintaining these high standards across their manufacturing and distribution sites near Glasgow demands a robust fleet of well-engineered forklift trucks capable of performing at peak under the most punishing of production environments.
Challenging conditions
“Tanneries are by their very nature some of the harshest working environments for mechanical equipment,” says Kelly Truman, Engineering Compliance Manager at Scottish Leather Group. “Our forklift fleet at our main production facility in Bridge of Weir, Paisley, and at our site near Glasgow, work three-shifts a day, moving hides between wet processes and loading vehicles. It’s tough work that can take a heavy toll on a vehicle as the chemicals involved in the manufacturing process are highly corrosive, requiring regular servicing of the fleet in order to keep them operationally effective and safe.”
Keeping to schedule and ensuring that production is uninterrupted is essential for Scottish Leather Group’s continued business success, as any failure to deliver on time can impact customer production lines. This responsibility places a heavy emphasis on the performance of the forklift truck fleet and each truck’s ability to maintain maximum uptime – these vehicles must be robust, reliable high-performers. And keeping them on top form over a three-shift day, ‘day-in, day-out’, requires regular servicing and a rigorous maintenance regime.
When it came to reviewing their materials handling fleet in the summer of 2024 Scottish Leather Group entered into a comprehensive tendering process which resulted in them placing an order for 18 new Bobcat forklift trucks with Rushlift, the national full-service provider of materials handling equipment.
“Rushlift proved their worth back in 2023 when they offered excellent support, supplying a fleet of powered pallet trucks to reduce manual handling across three of our sites and by arranging for a number of LPG powered counterbalance trucks on short-term rental,” says Kelly. “The maintenance and service support were first-class, so we knew we could rely on them – and the Bobcat product range was clearly fit for the task.”
High-spec, anti-corrosion
The order consisted of: Ten Bobcat G30E-7 four-wheel counterbalance trucks, fitted with triple lift masts, half cabs and load weight indicators, capable of operating with loads up to 3000 kg. Critically, the vehicles had to be specially adapted to protect them against the harsh, wet working environment of the tannery, which included a high-spec anti-corrosion paint applied to the bodywork and mast, along with extra-thick chrome plating and zinc coated chains. In addition, three of the trucks were fitted with a box rotator attachment, which were also treated with anti-corrosion paint.
But not all vehicles were destined for tannery use; other models were supplied for the less aggressive working environment of the distribution centre, and yard duties. Further Bobcat counterbalance models supplied included two G25E-7 with half and full cabs, a G35E-7 with a load handling capacity of 3500 kg, three BR16JW-9 reach trucks with integral sideshift, LED lights and panoramic mirror, and two heavy-duty electric counterbalance models, the B30X-7 and the B25X-7, both with half cabs.
All vehicles across the fleet were supplied complete with triple lift masts, 4th hydraulics and the latest safety equipment, including: blue spot safety lights for alerting pedestrians, full FTC Optafleet Telematics (pre-use safety check, fleet utilisation data and impact detection), and seat belt interlocks.
Full support
“Maintenance and regular servicing are incredibly important to us,” says Kelly. “That’s why we went for a leasing agreement with a full maintenance and support package from Rushlift.” This includes an increased frequency of Thorough Examinations based on the sites arduous conditions and environmental factors, via Rushlift’s partner Plant & Safety.
In addition, Rushlift have supported Scottish Leather Group in training some of their personnel on carrying out interim maintenance checks to ensure they identify any issues out with the regular servicing, maintenance and pre-use checks, to ensure maximum uptime in harsh environments.
Kelly concludes: “Over the past year, Rushlift has proven to be an exceptional partner, delivering a level of service and support that has consistently exceeded our expectations. From the outset, the Rushlift team has brought a wealth of industry knowledge, hands-on experience, and a proactive approach that has added significant value to our operations. Their ability to understand our unique needs and tailor their support accordingly has made a real difference – not just in terms of compliance and safety, but in the confidence and capability of our workforce.”
Rushlift is providing further ongoing support with floor cleaning machines and access equipment across all four of Scottish Leather Group’s sites.
Sensor specialist SICK has released the W12NextGen range of photoelectric sensors with enhanced detection capabilities, delivering intelligent usability even in harsh conditions. Building on the W12 series, the robust W12NextGen harnesses SICK’s innovation and sensor expertise to provide even greater precision, versatility and repeatability, with a range of new features.
SICK is continually innovating and the W12NextGen universal detection solution harnesses the company’s expertise, processing power and proprietary algorithms for superior performance across a wide array of industrial applications. In addition, the W12NextGen is the first SICK photoelectric sensor with a true digital twin and features new industry-leading Hybrid LED technology for better positioning, as well as state-of-the-art spot size recognition (SSR) for retro-reflective sensors. With easy setup and operation, and smart connectivity, it is enclosed in a rugged metal housing and built to last.
Easy to use
The W12NextGen provides outstanding detection performance even with high ambient light and reliable detection of critical objects. OpticalExperts facilitate detection at high speed, including very dark, shiny, flat, uneven, transparent or perforated objects, and those at different or difficult angles. Equipped with ClearSens for reliable detection of transparent objects and LineSpot for structured and uneven surfaces, W12NextGen sensors perform in even the most challenging environmental conditions, such as extraneous/high ambient light, shock, vibration or high/low temperatures. A new teach-in process, including foreground and background suppression, allows for fast setup on the device, while AutoAdapt technology allows the sensor to adapt to changing conditions.
Despite its advanced capabilities, the W12NextGen is simple to order, use and teach. The BluePilot user interface features a push-turn button for easy parameterization or SICK SOPAS software can be used via IO-Link for precise commissioning. An intuitive interface assists with fast installation and configuration, and a range of compatible accessories are available. W12 supports digitization with smart features and rich diagnostic & process data via IO-Link (temperature, distance, receiver level, alarm output, teach quality). Long lasting components and durable metal housing make the W12NextGen the most robust proximity diffuse sensor with TwinEye Technology, providing high chemical, thermal, and mechanical robustness.
Sensor Expertise
The iconic W12 has been one of the standout photoelectric sensors. Technological advances have led to an update that takes it to the next level, meeting the needs of OEMs and end users across industry. The robustness and reliability of detection provided by the W12NextGen and the extensive range of variants make it ideally suited to a vast array of sectors, including consumer goods, machine builders, material handling, and automotive OEMs and parts suppliers.
W12NextGen is a full range product family, featuring diffuse proximity, retroreflective, and through-beam sensors. Multi-mode sensors (WTM12, WLG12) provide universal application opportunities with one device, meaning a single inventory line and easy setup and commissioning. The ApplicationSelect mode enables hardly imagined ranges on low-remission objects and at large detection angles.
Applications for the W12NextGen sensor are endless, they vary from detecting water bottles in shrink packaging and detection of filled bottles in wet environments, to tear strip detection on transparent foil, objects in different detection ranges to prevent production line jams, detection of flat, uneven or glossy objects on conveyors, filling level of storage racks for material handling or material infeed, and monitoring of sorter tipping. Meanwhile, the W12NextGen’s digital twin enables OEMs and end users to model and develop whole production lines or machines, and it interacts with PLCs for design and virtual commissioning.
David Hannaby, SICK Portfolio Sales Manager, Presence Detection, says,
Exceptionally good, reliable and robust, the W12 family has led the market for decades. The W12NextGen photoelectric sensor takes an enormously popular and highly successful product to the next level. We have once again applied SICK’s decades of experience in customer-specific projects to innovative, high-end solutions that meet complex industrial requirements. The W12NextGen sensor harnesses technological progress in a single sensor to set new benchmarks in precision and reliability, and deliver uncompromising performance to the most challenging applications.
In the latest episode of the Logistics Business Conversations Podcast, host Peter MacLeod sits down with Sjoerd Eekelaar, Chief Customer Officer at CargoON to discuss transforming supply chains.
On, to explore the transformative power of AI in the logistics industry. As businesses face challenges like driver shortages and sustainability, AI offers innovative solutions to optimize supply chains and enhance connectivity.
The logistics industry is on the brink of a digital revolution. With AI at the forefront, companies like CargoON are leading the charge in creating fully connected supply chains. In this episode, Peter and Sjoerd delve into how AI is reshaping logistics, offering practical insights for businesses looking to embrace these changes.
Key Insights:
AI-Powered Supply Chains: Discover how AI is transforming traditional logistics processes, making them more efficient and sustainable. Overcoming Industry Challenges: Learn about the innovative solutions AI provides to tackle driver shortages and improve sustainability. Practical Steps for Businesses: Sjoerd shares actionable advice for companies looking to integrate AI into their operations, emphasizing the importance of digital innovation.
As the logistics industry evolves, embracing AI and digital innovation is crucial for businesses to thrive. This episode offers valuable insights into the future of logistics, providing listeners with the knowledge they need to stay ahead in a rapidly changing landscape.
Don’t miss this insightful conversation. Listen to the full episode below and subscribe to Logistics Business Conversations for more expert insights into the world of logistics.
Subscribe
Get notified about New Episodes of our Podcast, New Magazine Issues and stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter.
