Valley dairy company adding all-electric trucks to business

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- To move Producers Dairy milk, ice cream and other products all over the Valley, the company has been using battery-operated big rigs.

"It's not that they're the only trucks - they're the first trucks," says company chairman Richard Shehadey. "We're looking forward to many more."

Shehadey and his son, Scott unveiled the company's first two Volvo VNR electric trucks.

Two 150 kW DC fast chargers have been installed by AMPLY at the company plant.

"We're seeing the range at about 100 miles with a fully-loaded truck and that doesn't allow us to do all of our routes," Shehadey said.

But the charge is enough to deliver to stores from Madera to Selma and return.

Shehadey says the company ran the Valley's first refrigerated trucks back in 1952.

Today, he believes a zero-emission approach is important for the community.

"I think it's the right thing to do for sustainability, for our future, our air quality," he said. "Just the environment. Of course, the price of diesel today, it's cheaper to plug them in and run them than it is to buy diesel."

Producers is committed to clean energy.

The Bar 20 dairy converts methane from manure into energy and sends it onto the power grid.

CEO Scott Shehadey says the company is focused on sustainable solutions

"We felt if we take the lead in this and figure out what's possible today, knowing that the technology is going to keeping getting better, maybe others will follow," Scott said.

Producers Dairy has been around since 1932. Company ads once featured a catchy jingle.

Those electric trucks cost $363,000, but Producers was able to offset some of the costs through clean air grant funding.