“Ryder has gained a significant amount of knowledge operating and maintaining NGVs. Our drivers are properly trained to operate and fuel the vehicles, and they are happy with the performance,” said Scott Perry regarding the company’s experience with natural gas trucks.
Currently, Ryder operates a fleet of 250 natural gas vehicles, consisting of 215 CNG and 35 LNG tractors, running in 32 customer operations throughout California, Arizona, and Michigan, and will continue to expand the NGV lease and rental offering in markets where there is customer interest. According to Perry, they have additional vehicles on order with multiple OEMs and will be deploying those into several new markets in 2013.
“We believe that natural gas is a sustainable solution for the industry for a number of reasons. Energy volatility is a permanent reality and diesel prices are trending upward, investments in fueling infrastructure are growing, new engine technologies are coming onto the market that will help expand natural gas applications for commercial transport, supply is abundant and domestic, and interest among Ryder customers and prospects is high.”
It is worth adding that since the launching of the program, two years ago, Ryder’s NGVs have replaced approximately 923,000 gallons of diesel fuel with domestically produced natural gas, reduced emissions by more than 2,300 MTCO2e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions), and covered 6 million miles, a major milestone for the company and for the heavy duty transportation.
