Scaling electric drayage: same reliable service, now zero-emission

Executive Summary

Shippers exploring zero-emission freight often have the same concern: can electric trucks deliver the reliability supply chains require? Questions about charging availability, vehicle range, and operational readiness have historically created uncertainty around large-scale adoption.

Electric drayage is now part of C.H. Robinson’s daily operations through collaborations with zero-emission carriers like Nevoya, which leases electric trucks from Forum Mobility and charges out of Forum’s FM Harbor depot near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The trucks hit their pickups, make their transit times, and hold the same service standards as the diesel fleets running alongside them. In fact, when freight has shifted onto electric trucks, customers haven’t noticed a difference.

This case study demonstrates how the combination of reliable freight management, purpose-built electric carrier operations, and dependable charging infrastructure is making zero-emission drayage a practical reality today.

Background: Why CHR is expanding zero-emission drayage

The push toward cleaner freight is no longer coming only from regulators – it's coming from customers, as well. Shippers with public sustainability commitments are exploring decarbonization options for their supply chains. Drayage at ports, where vehicles run short, predictable routes, is a logical place to use zero-emission electric vehicles.

C.H. Robinson saw two things happening at once: demand for zero-emission shipping was increasing, and the technology had matured to the point where electric drayage could deliver to rigorous service standards. The goal was not simply to move freight with electric trucks, but to demonstrate that those trucks could deliver the same level of reliability customers already expect.

The Challenge: Reducing emissions without sacrificing reliability

For most shippers, the question isn’t whether electric trucks can move freight. It’s whether they can do so without introducing operational risk.

Concerns around charging limitations, vehicle range, and infrastructure availability have historically raised doubts about whether electric trucks could consistently meet service expectations in high-volume freight environments. The bar for electric drayage was clear: before anything else, it had to match diesel on the metrics that matter, including on-time performance, dependability, and service standards.

C.H. Robinson’s focus was straightforward: build a network supported by carriers and infrastructure providers capable of delivering reliable performance every day.

The Solution: Onboarding zero-emission carriers with reliable operations

Among these providers, Nevoya, an all-electric fleet carrier, represents the next wave of operators built around zero-emission freight from the ground up.

Founded in 2023 and based in Santa Monica, California, Nevoya moves general commercial truckload freight, drayage containers, and rail freight across Southern and Northern California, Arizona, and Texas for major corporate buyers such as Amazon, eBay, and Meta.

Nevoya allows C.H. Robinson to route customer freight onto electric trucks as a normal, reliable part of its drayage operations.

Affordable equipment and reliable charging: Forum Mobility

None of this works without trucks and infrastructure that are competitively priced with diesel.

Without incentives, electric trucks have higher upfront costs than diesel vehicles. By stacking available incentives, Forum is able to offer companies like Nevoya low monthly leases that, combined with affordable charging subscriptions and the lower O&M costs EVs offer, allow carriers to run zero-emission freight at a lower total cost per mile than diesel.

But electric drayage reliability depends on more than trucks alone. It requires charging infrastructure that is conveniently located and capable of supporting daily freight operations at scale. Forum Mobility provides that foundation.

Forum operates the FM Harbor heavy-duty charging depot inside the Port of Long Beach where CHR’s carriers operate, with reserved high-speed charging available right where the trucks already are. Forum’s flexible charging subscription plans and staffed and secure depots ensure Nevoya vehicles always have the charge they need. The carriers can choose between fixed or energy subscriptions and decide how they want to charge their vehicles – overnight, at a dedicated charging stall any time they want, during the day between shifts or deliveries, or by scheduling on-route fast charges.

The setup alleviates a common concern for operators nervous about going electric – whether the trucks will be ready when needed. In practice, charging hasn't been a limiting factor. The infrastructure is available, fast, and conveniently located along the drayage routes, and the carriers running out of the depot haven't run into charging constraints that affect their ability to move freight. Forum’s model has been so successful that the company is building four more depots in 2026 around California ports with ultra-fast MCS charging to accommodate customers who have ordered hundreds of additional drayage trucks (most with a 500-mile range).

Results: Electric drayage shippers can count on

"Electric drayage has become part of how we move freight every day, running alongside diesel with the same dependable service our customers already expect. The difference is simply lower emissions. The whole ecosystem is now in place, from the electric fleets to the charging infrastructure, and it's ready to scale, which is what makes this a genuinely reliable option shippers can count on right now." — Tom Fisher, Global Alternative Fuel Program Director, C.H. Robinson

Growing capacity for shippers who want it

The success of electric drayage depends on an ecosystem working together. C.H. Robinson provides the freight network and operational oversight. Nevoya delivers purpose-built electric carrier capacity designed for dependable execution. Forum Mobility leases Nevoya Class 8 electric trucks and supplies the charging infrastructure that keeps its operations running efficiently.

Together, those capabilities are helping make electric freight operationally invisible to the customer. Freight moves, service expectations are met, and supply chains continue running as planned. The difference is that those same shipments can now be completed with lower emissions and without requiring shippers to build the expertise or infrastructure themselves.

Electric drayage is no longer a future concept or limited pilot. Companies like Nevoya and Forum Mobility are demonstrating that the infrastructure and operational model already exist today, and C.H. Robinson is helping customers put that ecosystem at work on a commercial scale.

To learn more about charging and truck leasing options, contact [email protected]

To explore zero-emission shipping options, contact C.H. Robinson at [email protected]