“Our contacts at Rush Truck Center were the biggest piece of getting everyone together to produce the finished trucks,” Silverman states. “They worked with Peterbilt and Custom Vehicle Solutions to make sure we could make changes to the specs. Our fuel tank supplier, Chart LNG, worked with Custom Vehicle Solutions to be sure that larger tanks could be mounted and plumbed to the chassis.”

Silverman adds, “Chart and Clean Energy also assured us that the tank would be sufficient to travel the distance between currently operating
fueling locations.”

Investigating options

Michael McDaniel, fleet maintenance director at Raven Transport, says when spec’ing its new LNG-powered tractors the company looked at several things related to weight savings, consistency with the rest of the fleet, compatibility with the LNG system, driver comfort, ease of service and parts availability. “We looked at all the options available in a lightweight, well appointed, comfortable package,” he states.

“We have continued to spec wide-base tires on aluminum wheels, aluminum hubs, and aluminum frame rail crossmembers,” McDaniel adds. “We have also eliminated options to reduce weight, such as external battery jumper posts, engine block heaters, and deck plates and steps. At the same time, we added roof mounted air fairings and Peterbilt SmartAir no-idle systems for fuel efficiency.”

Raven Transport shops provide basic services for the fleet’s vehicles, McDaniel reports, while the carrier relies on vendors and service partners as well as dealers for repairs and warranty programs. “This arrangement allows our shops to focus on preventive maintenance and driver write-ups,” he says. “We do have a large portion of our PM services completed over the road to allow drivers to stay on route and on time if they cannot make it back to one of our facilities.

“For our new LNG powered tractors we have been working with Peterbilt, Cummins and Rush to assure we have a maintenance network to have these trucks repaired or serviced on the road,” McDaniel continues. “TravelCenters of America has also updated some of its facilities for natural gas repairs and services. All of our suppliers have come together to help us provide the necessary training needed for our drivers and support staff—and most importantly to keep these trucks rolling down the road.”