Penske Truck Leasing will build a $98.5-million, 606,000-square-foot Midwest regional service center in Romulus, Mich., with an estimated 403 new jobs.
The Michigan Strategic Fund, an arm of the state’s development effort, approved a $2.5 million performance-based grant, meaning that the company must do what it promises before getting the help.
Penske Truck Leasing is part of the wide-ranging network of auto-related companies founded by racing legend and Detroit civic leader Roger Penske. Penske Truck Leasing started in 1969 with just three locations in eastern Pennsylvania but now has a fleet of approximately 250,000 trucks on the roads.
Those trucks include the familiar yellow Penske rental trucks but also entire fleets operated under various corporate brands such as FedEx.
Penske Logistics ranks No. 21 and FedEx ranks No. 2 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.
The company offers full-service truck leasing, contract fleet maintenance, commercial and consumer truck rentals, and used truck sales through a network of approximately 680 service locations and more than 2,300 truck rental locations.
Speaking in May on Belle Isle during the preparations for this year’s Detroit Grand Prix auto race, which Penske organizes, Penske said that his truck-leasing operation is looking at some form of autonomous or self-driving trucks. This would probably involve “platooning” trucks — running three in a row, with the first and third operated by humans and the middle truck running “driverless,” but with a human ready to take over as needed.
Platooning is one of many modes of operating autonomous vehicles being discussed. Penske cited increased productivity as a potential benefit.
“We’re definitely involved (in) looking at that, seeing at how we’ll be involved,” he said. “Car-sharing is another area. With 244,000 trucks, we know how to run a big fleet. We might do the same thing with a fleet of cars.”
The company plans to open what is described as a “highly specialized distribution center” to service Midwest clients with major investments in general warehousing and storage.
In addition, Penske Logistics, a subsidiary of Penske Truck Leasing, operates more than 360 locations across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.