USA Truck Inc. has agreed to buy 10 Nikola Tre BEV trucks, with an option to buy 90 more zero-emission vehicles in the next two years.
The Van Buren-based trucking and logistics firm entered a letter of intent for an initial order of the electric, heavy-duty vehicles from Thompson Truck Centers, a Nikola Corp. sales and service dealer in Nashville.
The order is one of the first from USA Truck as competitors experiment with new technologies to improve their fleets and reach emissions goals.
The letter of intent established Thompson as the sales, service, maintenance and energy infrastructure provider for the Nikola battery-electric vehicles expected to be delivered in the next six months. It also has an option for USA Truck to purchase more Nikola trucks in the coming years.
James Reed, USA Truck's president and chief executive, said in a written statement that the partnership advances the company's environmental, social and governance goals and underscores its commitment to sustainability.
The Nikola Tre BEV model is designed for short and medium hauls with a range of 350 miles on a single 120-minute charge, according to Nikola's website.