Since Tesla delivered the first units of its all-electric Semi to Frito-Lay facilities in Modesto, California, in December 2022, any instance of one breaking down on the side of the road has been photographed and highly publicized. However, Teslarati has been told that at least some of the “breakdowns” are caused by a glitch within a software switch, and drivers are pulling over voluntarily as a precaution because the dash screens will flicker and sometimes shut off.
Since December, there have been at least eight instances of Tesla Semi vehicles breaking down. Some attributed it to a loss of range from carrying a load of products, as weight and hauling affect how far an EV can go.
Others suspected it was a mechanical issue, as the Semi is still a relatively young product that has been in development for some time but has only been used in real-world applications by a company that is not Tesla for a few months.
Tesla Semi developers reflect on first deliveries: ‘Out the door. For the world.’
While these are a possibility, they would be expected. Vehicles break down all the time for various reasons, including mechanical failures, and people often run out of gas in combustion engine vehicles and/or range in EVs.
Tesla Semi drivers are experiencing dash issues
At least some of the Semi breakdowns can be attributed to a glitch with a software switch, Teslarati has learned. How many of the breakdowns can be attributed to this issue is unknown, but more than one has been described as having this problem.
According to a source close to the operation in Modesto, drivers are pulling over their Semis as a precaution, as the glitch is causing the dash screens and lights on those screens to flicker and sometimes shut off. “They don’t know what to do,” said the person who did not want to be identified. “So they just pull over, and then they are towed.”
Drivers and others involved in the logistics portion of the operation at Frito-Lay that use the Tesla Semi have stated that the screens will not operate properly. Drivers are pulling over as the screens hold valuable information, such as speed, range, camera views surrounding the truck, suspension information, trailer hitch controls, and more.
Tesla Semi interior (Credit: Tesla)
Without the screens being operational, drivers run into issues that can affect how their jobs are performed, including important safety metrics like speed.
The vehicles are then towed to what we were told is a “secret location” in Lathrop, California, for inspection and repair.
A tow truck driver that has been responsible for transporting the Semis to Lathrop said they had towed at least four units to that location thus far.
Why This Isn’t So Bad
The Semi has only been in Frito-Lay’s hands for about four months, and it is an extremely early project that is still a very limited operation. Frito-Lay expects to have only fifteen Tesla Semis in Modesto this year, so the vehicle is not taking over the entire fleet. In fact, Frito-Lay has adopted various sustainable technologies from several companies to make the Modesto plant more environmentally friendly.
The issues, if completely software-related, can be fixed by Tesla engineers. While the Semi is much different than its passenger vehicles, Tesla has a reputation for having some of the best software in the EV industry. There would likely be much more concern if these breakdowns could be attributed to a part failure or range depletion.
Tesla already displayed the Semi’s capabilities with a full load during the unveiling event in December, showing the all-electric class 8 truck traveling 500 miles on a single charge. We were not told about or made aware of any hardware failures or breakdowns that were caused by parts failures.
Tesla Semi completes 500-mile journey weighing in at 81,000 pounds
The problems with the Semi are likely expected by both Tesla and Frito-Lay as it is still an early-stage vehicle that is being rolled out in a very limited fashion.
Frito-Lay/PepsiCo. did not immediately respond to our request for comment.
What’s Next
Tesla is still moving forward with its plans to expand Semi production in Nevada, as earlier this year, it announced it would build a $3.5 billion expansion to Giga Nevada.
As for Frito-Lay and PepsiCo’s facility in Modesto, there is no indication that they will let a few early issues with the Semi ruin their fleet. In fact, the facility is set to have Megachargers installed at its plant in Fresno, California.
As far as we know, the Semi is still operating daily. Yesterday, it was spotted in Sacramento.
The big picture is that vehicles break down, and new vehicles sometimes have issues that need to be ironed out. It doesn’t mean the project is a failure or that the Semi is doomed to be a dud. It’s the growing pains of the Semi operation.
Disclosure: Joey Klender is a TSLA Shareholder.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
Elon Musk
The Boring Company’s latest Tesla tunnel truck mod “fits like a glove”
The Boring Company has modified a Tesla powered tunnel truck to carry freight containers underground.
The Boring Company has found a second job for the Tesla hardware it already runs underground. In a post on X, Elon Musk’s tunneling company showed its latest Prufrock Liner Truck modified to carry a standard 20 foot shipping container. “Using TBC tunnels to transport freight,” the company wrote. “The latest Prufrock Liner Truck (using Tesla Model 3 batteries and drive units) has been modified to carry a standard 20′ shipping container. Fits like a glove!”
The photo shows a red container sitting on a long, low white chassis parked outside, with drive hardware visible at one end. The Boring Company did not say where or when freight hauling would start, which customers it has in mind, or how many trucks it is converting.
Using TBC tunnels to transport freight.
The latest Prufrock Liner Truck (using Tesla Model 3 batteries and drive units) has been modified to carry a standard 20’ shipping container.
Fits like a glove! https://t.co/VV0phWK4fc
— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) October 19, 2026
Until now, the liner trucks have hauled concrete. Teslarati reported in August on Liner Truck 3, which uses Model 3 battery packs and drive units to move more than 22,000 pounds of precast tunnel segments to the boring machine. It has 28 miles of range, tops out at 12 mph, and is piloted remotely from the company’s operations center in Texas. The freight version appears to be the same platform with a different bed, and The Boring Company has not said whether it will also be remotely piloted.
Freight has been on the company’s menu for years. When TBC updated its product lineup in 2021, its freight tunnel was described as sized to fit a standard shipping container, “barely.” The company later used the idea at Tesla’s own factory, where Prufrock 3 dug a tunnel to Giga Texas that now moves finished Cybertrucks away from the production line.
The Boring Company closed a $3 billion Series D in September at a $23 billion valuation, and Teslarati has covered how that money is tied to a UAE tunneling push and a faster Nashville build. In Nashville, Prufrock MB1 and MB2 are mining at the same time, and a third machine is expected to launch in late October. Each machine needs a steady supply of liner trucks, so any design that works for segments and containers alike gives the company more use out of the same Tesla parts.
The Vegas Loop remains the only Boring Company system open to the public, and it moves passengers in Tesla vehicles. A freight service would be a separate product, and the post gave no indication that one is close to launch. For now, it is a truck, a container and a short caption saying they fit together.
Elon Musk said he is planning to give “every one of his SpaceX shares to every kid in America” in 2027, stating that “this will be the first of many.”
SpaceX went public earlier this year, and its stock price has been relatively stable since leveling off shortly after its IPO. Based on its current price, it’s a gift of just over $10 billion to children across the United States.
It appears to be closely related to President Donald Trump’s bank accounts for children, which were set up earlier this year as Trump Accounts.
Just hours earlier, Anthropic had announced the establishment of its Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, “a new wholly-owned entity dedicated entirely to public benefit.” Musk responded by stating he recommended “giving the shares directly to the public,” and that he would be doing it that way.
Just a little bit later, Musk said children across the U.S. would be getting a share from him:
Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to every kid in America.
This will be the first of many.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 19, 2026
There are roughly 70 million children, meaning someone under the age of 18, in the United States, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. Musk’s ownership of SpaceX stock shows he has around 849 million Class A shares of SpaceX stock, according to filings with the SEC.
Elon Musk revealed in a post on X that “Permits were impossible to get,” explaining the fate of The Boring Company’s most ambitious East Coast proposal.
The comment responded to a query about what became of his July 20, 2017 announcement that he had “just received verbal govt approval” for an underground Hyperloop connecting New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., capable of carrying passengers from the Big Apple to the Nation’s Capital in just 29 minutes.
The Boring Company receives verbal ‘approval’ to build NY to DC Hyperloop tunnel
The 2017 post, which envisioned city-center stations and multiple elevators in each city, sparked immediate scrutiny. Local and state officials in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and D.C. said they had no knowledge of any approval. A White House spokesperson confirmed only “promising conversations” about the transformative infrastructure.
Musk clarified shortly after that there was “still a lot of work” to do for formal approvals.
@cybrtrkguy Permits were impossible to get
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 19, 2026
Limited progress followed, as Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s administration issued a conditional utility permit and supported work near Fort Meade. In 2018, Washington, D.C., granted a preliminary permit for site preparation and excavation on a vacant lot at 53 New York Ave. NE in the NoMa neighborhood, which The Boring Company said could become a station.
A draft environmental assessment for a D.C.-Baltimore segment was released in 2019. Yet, by April 2021, the company had removed the project from its website, and the Federal Highway Administration reported receiving no indication of further interest. Communication with Maryland officials had ceased.
The full corridor would have required coordination among the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, the Federal Highway Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, and other agencies.
Environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, utility clearances, and approvals for novel infrastructure added to the overall complexity of the project and its approval.
Speculation on the permitting barriers centers around a few factors, but a multi-state, multi-level route involving unproven high-speed vacuum-tube technology inherently triggers exhaustive safety, environmental, and engineering reviews that can stretch for years, even for conventional projects.
There are also other elements, of course, like officials who may face political exposure if a privately funded, untested system encountered anything such as cost overruns, delays, or safety issues. On the outset of this project, there were limited things such as engineering plans or demonstrated technology maturity, which also added to the potential skepticism.
The East Coast vision for Boring Co., once framed as a privately funded revolution that could reshape Northeast travel, quietly ended without construction of the promised network. Musk’s recent statement frames the outcome as a regulatory impasse, unfortunate but not unexpected.
The Boring Company’s latest Tesla tunnel truck mod “fits like a glove”
Elon Musk will give ‘every kid in America’ a SpaceX share in 2027
Elon Musk reveals why Boring Co’s biggest East Coast project never happened
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