DACHSER will become the first company in the world to operate Daimler Truck’s new Mercedes-Benz NextGenH2 Truck, marking an important step in the real-world evaluation of hydrogen fuel-cell technology for long-distance freight. Starting at the end of December 2026, DACHSER will begin using the first of three Mercedes-Benz NextGenH2 truck tractors equipped with liquid hydrogen technology. Two additional trucks of the same model are expected to follow by mid-2027. The vehicles will be based at DACHSER’s Karlsruhe logistics center in Germany and will operate primarily in long-distance transport, where the company and Daimler Truck expect the technology to demonstrate its range and operational flexibility. The three trucks are part of a small series of 100 Mercedes-Benz NextGenH2 Trucks that Daimler Truck plans to deliver to selected customers beginning at the end of December 2026. Volume production is scheduled to begin in the early 2030s. For commercial transportation, the deployment reflects the multi-technology path many fleets and OEMs are taking toward lower-emission freight. Battery-electric trucks are already moving into daily operations across regional and some long-haul applications, while hydrogen fuel-cell trucks are being evaluated for routes where long range, high payload, and shorter refueling times could provide operational advantages. “In logistics, if we want to sustainably reduce greenhouse gases and air pollutants from long-distance transport and, in the long term, replace diesel trucks completely, what we need is powerful and efficient zero-emission vehicles,” said Stefan Hohm, chief development officer at DACHSER. “Development work on battery-electric trucks has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years. These vehicles are reliable, they operate very well, and some volume-produced vehicles now even have a range of over 500 kilometers. But getting ahold of sufficient grid connection capacity for them remains a major challenge.” DACHSER currently has more than 190 electric trucks in daily