Musk says Cybertruck isn’t dying from weak sales — the numbers disagree
Transportationvia Electrek
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Elon Musk now claims Cybertruck orders “far exceed” Tesla’s production rate, and that the truck isn’t being killed because it’s unprofitable. It’s his second explanation in three days for ending the pickup. The problem is that Tesla’s own numbers say the opposite. The Cybertruck line has been running at roughly a quarter of its installed capacity, and Tesla spent all of 2026 discounting, re-trimming, and repricing the truck to find buyers. more…
Elon Musk now claims Cybertruck orders “far exceed” Tesla’s production rate, and that the truck isn’t being killed because it’s unprofitable. It’s his second explanation in three days for ending the pickup.
The problem is that Tesla’s own numbers say the opposite. The Cybertruck line has been running at roughly a quarter of its installed capacity, and Tesla spent all of 2026 discounting, re-trimming, and repricing the truck to find buyers.
Tesla is launching its Robotaxi service in San Antonio, its eighth city, with a launch geofence covering about 274 square miles. That’s the biggest day-one map Tesla has ever posted, and more than four times the size of Waymo’s San Antonio service area. But if Tesla’s recent maps are any guide, a big chunk of that area won’t be bookable. In Austin, an independent check found the Robotaxi app only accepted pickups and drop-offs in about 59% of the zone Tesla advertises. more…
Hail the return of the preighter. Latam Airlines is the first airline in four and a half years to operate a passenger plane with cargo loaded in the cabin. The South American carrier said it activated an Airbus A319 to deliver emergency aid from Quito, Ecuador, to the Galapagos Islands, which suffered flooding after being hit by heavy rains, and stored cargo in passenger seats in addition to the lower deck. When air travel and the global economy shut down in 2020 during the Covid pandemic many airlines quickly turned passenger aircraft into temporary freighters, commonly referred to as preighters, often loading cartons in the cabin where people normally sit to meet soaring demand for medical supplies and other goods in high demand. Those flights ended by the first half of 2022 as the travel industry and other cargo transport modes rebounded. Latam Airlines said it transported about 28,450 pounds of food, water and hygiene kits last week for more than 2,000 families impacted by the flooding on Santa Cruz Island. Latam donated the relief flight at the request of the Chamber of Industries and Production and Grupo Entregas, according to the news release. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/FW-Responsive-Main_Content-Slot1', [[300, 100], [320, 50], [728, 90], [468, 60]], 'div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0'); }); Latam Cargo, which separately operates 19 Boeing 767-300 cargo jets, helped coordinate logistics for the flight. The medium widebody freighters couldn’t be used, Latam said, because Baltra Airport doesn’t have a long-enough runway to handle a fully-loaded jet of that size and officials didn’t want to reduce the amount of aid that could be delivered. On a regular passenger flight, an A319 can carry about 7,700 pounds of cargo. With no passengers and only the hold in use, it can carry about 15,000 pounds. By utilizing the cabin seats, the flight was able to carry another 13,450 pounds of relief supplies, nearly doubling the maximum cargo payload Why It Matters: Latam’s use of a jet to move cargo is unusual because the use of passenger aircraft as auxiliary freighters ended when the world recovered from Covid in 2022. Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch. Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com. RELATED STORIES: Latam Cargo airlifts armored vehicles to Peru for Pope Leo visit window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/fw-responsive-main_content-slot3', [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 50], [300, 100]], 'div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0'); }); The post Latam Airlines dusts off Covid playbook to move cargo in passenger cabin appeared first on FreightWaves.
Maritime employers and the union representing security watchmen at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have extended their negotiating deadline to Nov. 20, postponing a potential strike at the nation’s busiest container-port complex. The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents employers, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union’s Local 26 agreed to allow more time for bargaining. The negotiations cover approximately 250 security workers, and operations have continued while the talks proceed. The latest extension follows a series of short-term agreements intended to keep workers on the job while negotiators pursue a replacement contract. The watchmen’s previous agreement expired in July 2025, and employees have continued working under extensions during bargaining. Although the watchmen represent a relatively small share of the ports’ workforce, a walkout could disrupt operations at several terminals in Los Angeles and Long Beach, the busiest U.S. container port. The extension gives employers and the union another window to reach an agreement without that interruption. window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/FW-Responsive-Main_Content-Slot1', [[300, 100], [320, 50], [728, 90], [468, 60]], 'div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0'); }); The union had authorized a strike and initially set a Nov. 1 deadline. That deadline was subsequently moved to Nov. 4 and then to midnight Pacific time on Nov. 6 before the latest extension to Nov. 20. Federal mediators have been assisting the negotiations, according to earlier statements from the employers’ association. The dispute concerns terminal watchmen, whose labor agreement is separate from the contract covering more than 22,000 longshore workers at 29 West Coast ports. Those workers secured a six-year agreement in 2023, retroactive to July 2022 and running until July 2028. Why it matters: The extension buys time to avoid a potentially major disruption to cargo moving through Los Angeles and Long Beach. Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here. Read more window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/fw-responsive-main_content-slot3', [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 50], [300, 100]], 'div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0'); }); North America container imports rise 9% as as freight pricing pressures mount Maersk raises profit outlook as earnings surge, but shares slide on expectations miss Asia-US container rates hold as carriers seek $3,000 November rate hikes ONE lifts profit forecast to $2 billion as earnings surge Successful quarter at Expeditors boosted by hyperscaler business window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot('/21776187881/fw-responsive-main_content-slot4', [[300, 100], [320, 50], [728, 90], [468, 60]], 'div-gpt-ad-1709668086344-0').defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); setInterval(function() { if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); } }, 60000); }); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1709668086344-0'); }); The post Strike at Los Angeles-Long Beach port delayed as union contract talks continue appeared first on FreightWaves.
