Ryder System Inc. said it has achieved a significant milestone with its fleet of 250 natural gas (NG) vehicles surpassing six million miles. The fleet consists of 35 liquefied natural gas and 215 compressed natural gas tractors, currently running in 32 customer operations in California, Arizona and Michigan.
Since deploying its natural NG truck program in 2011, the vehicles have replaced approximately 923,000 gallons of diesel fuel with domestically-produced natural gas and reduced emissions by more than 2,300 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, according to the company.
“Ryder is uniquely positioned to help the alternative fuel vehicle industry reach critical mass,” said Greg Swienton, chairman and CEO of Ryder. “Our commercial rental and leasing model enables businesses to take advantage of these new technologies with less downtime and other risks associated with ownership.
“We are also leveraging the scale of our NG vehicle program to improve our understanding of the technology and to provide input about our experiences to manufacturers and other stakeholders,” he continued. “As a leader in alternative fuel solutions for the commercial transportation industry, we are committed to sharing these insights so the market can continue to make investments that ultimately bring down cost and improve performance of new technologies like GN vehicles.”
Ryder said it became the first outsourced fleet provider to offer heavy-duty NG vehicles for the leasing and rental industry through a project with the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) in Southern California. Ryder’s partnership with SANBAG and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Clean Cities Coalition includes the deployment of 202 heavy duty NG-powered vehicles, made available to customers for rent or lease or through Ryder’s dedicated logistics services. As part of the project, Ryder is building two NG fueling stations and has equipped three maintenance facilities for the indoor servicing of NG vehicles in Fontana, Orange and Rancho Dominguez, Calif. The $38.7 million project is being funded as part of a joint public/private industry partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, the California Energy Commission and Ryder.
