Tesla Semi Will "Learn The Hard Way" Says Daimler

Tesla Semi Will “Learn The Hard Way” Says Daimler

HINSDALE, IL - JUNE 10: A truck driver navigates a rain-covered highway on the outskirts of Chicago on June 10, 2014 in Hinsdale, Illinois. Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate that would ease restrictions on the number of hours truckers can drive each week is being questioned following a crash on the New Jersey Turnpike in which an allegedly sleep-deprived truck driver crashed into a bus, seriously injuring comedian Tracy Morgan and killing Morgan's friend, fellow comedian James "Jimmy Mack" McNair. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) /

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Reading the specs on the Tesla Semi is enough to pique anyone’s interest in the innovative power unit, but Daimler CEO says “They will learn the hard way, trucking is not like passenger cars…”

Depending on your propulsion proclivities, you could take this one of two ways. On one hand, Daimler Trucks CEO, Martin Daum, made a statement that could be seen as tenacious denial in the face of a very real threat; the Tesla Semi does seem to offer a reprieve from one of the biggest expenses in trucking – fuel.

"“They’re fun, it’s an interesting market. We take every competitor seriously, Tesla has proved they really have the tenacity to really go through huge losses to capture the market.” – Martin Daum, Daimler Truck CEO / Busines Insider"

If It Don’t Make Dollars – It Don’t Make Sense

On the other hand, he does have a point. Trucking companies don’t really give two cents on the dollar about gimmicky features like “Camping Mode,” or “Ludicrous Mode.” Carriers are interested in one thing above all else (safety notwithstanding), the bottom line. Can Tesla Semi stack up?

Let’s just analyze that bottom line for a minute. Some of you truckers out there may have different numbers from personal experience, but to generalize it for the non-truck driving community, we’ll make super-simple assumptions.

(Any owner/operators out there who’d like to contribute to the conversation, I openly welcome your input.)

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