Wal-Mart, Anheuser-Busch, DHL to test Tesla Semi: 1200-plus reservations?

An Instagram post by an "outdoor living design and construction firm serving the Chicago Southland" seems to confirm a total of 1,230 reservations for Tesla's new all-electric truck.

Elemental Landscapes of Illinois posted a screenshot of its reservation for three Tesla Semi trucks, showing a reservation number EO000001230.

If the reservation numbering system is sequential and multiple trucks can be reserved with a single reservation number, Tesla could be sitting on a significant number of truck reservations before the all-electric hauler hits the road.

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The landscaping firm is one of many businesses, large and small, that have reserved one or more of Tesla's trucks.

Retailer Wal-Mart told CNBC in November that it had preordered 15 of the trucks—5 for the United States and 10 for Canada. The Tesla Semis will join Walmart's fleet of about 6,000 trucks when they are delivered.

"We have a long history of testing new technology—including alternative-fuel trucks—and we are excited to be among the first to pilot this new heavy-duty electric vehicle," the company said in a statement to CNBC.

Other companies are making even larger bets on the Tesla Semi, such as Anheuser-Busch's reservation of 40 Semis and a 50-truck reservation from food distribution company Sysco.

Anheuser-Busch, in an effort to reduce fuel costs and its overall carbon footprint, will test the truck's viability in short-haul deliveries "to wholesalers within 150 to 200 miles of its brewery locations," reports The Wall Street Journal.

The brewer or one of its dedicated carriers will end up leasing or buying the vehicles, said James Sembrot, the company’s senior director of logistics strategy.

Also jumping on Tesla's electrically powered bandwagon is shipping company DHL, which has a history of investing in electrified vehicles and owns small delivery truck manufacturer StreetScooter.

The logistics division of DHL "intends to use the heavy-duty Tesla trucks for shuttle runs and same-day customer deliveries in major U.S. cities," reports The Wall Street Journal.

Regarding the trucks' expected arrival time, DHL Supply Chain president of transportation in North America Jim Monkmeyer isn't worried.

“Something like this that’s new and is as complex as the Semi, I don’t know if we can count on specific dates. We understand the challenges [Tesla is] facing,” he said. “This is the future and we want to be in on the ground floor.”

CEO Elon Musk has said the Semi will be delivered in 2019, though the company has a history of not meeting its first promised dates for launch or volume production of its electric cars.

Still, the Tesla Semi isn't the best fit for every hauling task.

"We met with Tesla and at this time we do not see a fit with their product and our fleet,” Dave Bates, senior vice president of operations for Old Dominion Freight Line Inc, told Reuters.

Old Dominion is the fourth-largest carrier in the U.S. that consolidates smaller freight shipments into single trucks for shipment both locally and across the country.

Tesla says the Semi truck is expected to cost $150,000 for a 300-mile version, and $180,000 for a 500-mile version, when it goes on sale.

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