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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Daimler Is A Global Force

Daum attributes the company’s ultimate survival to the large global footprint, as well as brand diversity. It’s not just one truck, it’s not just one country. They’re all over, and they’re huge!

Reliability is going to factor in here, as even if the Tesla Semi can pump out miles on the cheap, what happens when something goes wrong? Commercial customers need to get their trucks back on track, and they need to do it quickly.

An Extensive Service Network Is Critical

Tesla may be able to service their segment of light cars (and soon, trucks – also extremely ugly) adequately, but when you add a national transportation network that cannot tolerate downtime, how can the thinly-spread company expect to produce – AND MAINTAIN – a large fleet of commercial trucks with the same efficiency that Daimler does?

Daimler employs over 289,000 employees worldwide and has reported $200 billion in revenue in 2017. Freightliner has over 20,000 employees, with production facilities in Detroit, Portland, and Charlotte.

Detroit Deisel employs over 2,000 people throughout six manufacturing plants across North America, with three worldwide distribution centers. (Investopedia.)

They are, indeed, one of the big boys. And Tesla is quite possibly stirring up a hornet’s nest.

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