Big Rigs · Illinois · November 12, 2026

Tesla Says Chicago's First 50 Semis Are on the Way as a Local Family Carrier Takes Its First Electric Truck

By Big Rig Daily Staff

Chicago is about to find out what happens when 50 electric semis meet a Midwest winter. On Nov. 11, Tesla posted that "Chicago's first 50 Semis" are on their way for delivery, Electrek reports.

Who is getting them

Tesla did not name the customer. But the only 50-truck order tied to Chicago reportedly belongs to HMD Trucking, according to Electrek.

HMD is a family-owned carrier founded in Chicago in 1998. It runs more than 650 trucks, almost all diesel, and ordered 50 Semis after Tesla's production event in September, Electrek reports. The company took its first Semi on Nov. 2 and says it is the first one registered in Illinois.

HMD ran a Semi for more than 4,000 miles over the summer and averaged 1.74 kilowatt-hours per mile, close to Tesla's claim of 1.7, according to Electrek. Owner Henry Malukas has said the company does not yet have real numbers on savings.

The deal is reportedly worth about $15 million. That works out to roughly $300,000 a truck.

How they will be used

The first trucks will mostly run local routes around Chicago, Electrek reports. HMD is installing its own chargers, because Tesla's big Semi charging network is still mostly out West.

The winter question

Then comes January, with lake-effect wind and below-zero mornings. Big Rig Daily has also covered Tesla Semi production in Nevada.

Why it matters to truckers

A 650-truck diesel fleet adding 50 electric trucks is a real-world test in a cold-weather city. Tesla does not regularly disclose Semi deliveries, Electrek notes, so a 50-truck batch is a rare public data point. How the trucks handle a Chicago winter on local work may say a lot about where electric semis fit next.

A question for readers

Would you trust an electric semi to get you home on a January night in Chicago?