UMT visits Swift Haulage to study electric container haulage

On 14 September 2026, a delegation from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) visited Swift Haulage Berhad to examine its decarbonisation initiatives and its pathway to net zero. Swift Haulage is Malaysia's largest integrated haulage operator, with more than 1,500 prime movers carrying containers between port terminals and inland logistics hubs.

The company aims for net-zero emissions by 2050 and plans to stop buying diesel prime movers and distribution trucks by 2030. It already runs Volvo electric prime movers on container routes between port terminals and inland hubs, charged at depot DC fast chargers of up to 180 kW during driver rest and container turnaround. The rest of the fleet has moved to Euro 5 engines and B20/B30 biodiesel blends as an interim step, and rooftop solar at its logistics centres offsets depot electricity use.

The company also described what still limits the transition. Heavy-vehicle charging along the expressways is scarce, so the electric trucks stay on short port-to-depot routes; electric prime movers cost more to buy and their batteries reduce payload; and hydrogen fuel cell trucks are being watched for longer routes.

The visit extends ISMDN's view of port decarbonisation to the landside. As ports electrify and adopt new fuels, the freight that serves them faces its own questions of energy supply, infrastructure and safety.

ISMDN is funded by Lloyd's Register Foundation and led by the University of Strathclyde, with nine partner institutions across eight countries. Organisations wishing to join the network can register at ismdn.org/register.