DHL Freight has taken another decisive step toward zero-emission road freight. In January, our team in Eindhoven introduced its first hydrogen-powered truck into daily operations – marking a milestone in the terminal’s ambition to operate a fully diesel-free cartage fleet by 2026.
While the vehicle itself is an eye‑catcher, the true significance lies in what this pilot enables: real-world insights into how hydrogen can support scalable, sustainable road transport.
Driving the Energy Transition in Eindhoven
The initiative was launched by the team of the DHL Freight terminal in Eindhoven as part of the company’s broader effort to decarbonize operations. Eindhoven’s ambitious goal: a fully diesel‑free cartage fleet for pick up and deliveries within this year.
To reach this target, the team is testing a range of clean technologies – including battery electric vehicles, biofuels, and now hydrogen.
Unlike a controlled test environment, this hydrogen truck is being deployed in regular daily operations, providing valuable insights into how hydrogen performs under real commercial conditions.
“The hydrogen truck will provide us with important insights for decarbonizing our fleet. With rising diesel and electricity prices, this technology could become an attractive operating solution,” says Ann Schildermans, TBO Manager DHL Freight, who, together with colleague Cencio Vlijt, helped drive the project from concept to launch.
A Collaborative Pilot Powered by Strong Partnerships
The success of this pilot relies on the close collaboration of several partners, each bringing critical expertise to ensure the hydrogen truck performs under real operating conditions: The vehicle itself is leased through hylane, a start-up founded in 2021 in Cologne, Germany, which offers a Transport‑as‑a‑Service model. This allows DHL Freight to pay only for the kilometers actually driven – an approach that gives us the flexibility we need to evaluate both performance and cost.
The long-standing carrier partner for the Eindhoven terminal, Schuurman Logistics, is responsible for providing the driver and operating the truck day to day. Their hands-on experience on the road will be essential for assessing how hydrogen performs in regular freight operations.
To keep the vehicle running reliably throughout its daily schedule, Teal Mobility supplies the hydrogen refueling infrastructure, ensuring consistent access to fuel and enabling the truck to stay on the road without disruption. Teal Mobility is a joint venture of Air Liquide and TotalEnergies with the aim of developing a network of hydrogen stations on major European road corridors.
Raymond Hofmann (hylane), Markus Voss (CEO DHL Freight)
Schuurman Logistics
Cencio Vlijt, Planning Supervisor DHL Freight, Ann Schildermans, TBO Manager DHL Freight, Raymond Hofmann, hylane, (from left to right)
What the Pilot Will Explore
Covering approximately 300 km per day across the Dutch provinces of Overijssel and Gelderland, the pilot will collect data on:
- real-life range and optimal refueling patterns
- energy consumption under operational load
- driver experience and training requirements
- customer feedback from serviced routes
- cost comparison with diesel and electric alternatives
- feasibility for scaling toward the 2026 diesel-free goal
These findings will directly inform both local fleet decisions in the Netherlands and the wider rollout of hydrogen technologies across DHL Freight.
Why Hydrogen Matters for our customers’ supply chains
Across Europe, many companies are working toward ambitious sustainability targets – and road freight remains a major lever to get there. Hydrogen trucks offer unique advantages that can directly support customers’ decarbonization roadmaps:
- Lower CO₂ footprint in day-to-day transport
- Fast refueling to maintain predictable transit times
- Longer range compared to many battery-electric alternatives
- High operational uptime, essential for time-critical shipments
By integrating hydrogen into real daily operations, DHL Freight is helping customers access greener transport options without compromising reliability.
Supporting DHL Group’s Sustainability Roadmap
Hydrogen remains an emerging technology, but it offers compelling advantages, especially for medium- and long-haul transport: fast refueling, long range, and zero tailpipe emissions.
For Eindhoven, this pilot is a major milestone on the road to a 100% diesel-free cartage fleet.
For DHL Freight globally, it reinforces our commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and DHL Group’s mission to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Photos: Cornelis Gollhardt
