The Fleet Business Authority
Issue link: http://heavydutytrucking.epubxp.com/i/221397
FuelSmarts Sponsored by www.peakHD.com A tale of 2 natural gas fleets a Tanker, refuse fleets share their stories at conference At a time when many shippers have chief sustainability officers and government contracts are requiring low-emissions or alternative-fuel equipment, some fleets are finding it pays to have natural gas trucks in their arsenal. Such was the case with two very different fleets who spoke to attendees in a popular educational session at the Green Fleet Conference this fall in Phoenix, Ariz.: Chicago-based Dillon Transport and Phoenix-based Waste Management. Dillon, that's changing. Dillon started investigating natural gas four to five years ago. Today it runs both liquefied natural gas and compressed natural gas, depending on the particular location. By the second quarter of 2014 it plans to have 25% of its 500-truck fleet running on natural gas. In addition to being unusual in using both fuels, Dillon is unusual in its approach to the ROI of natural gas. Instead of focusing on the pergallon fuel savings, it finds the big ÒI chose alternative fuel, and I donÕt regret that – Marte Tufte, Waste Management decision at all.Ó Dillon Transport Dillon Transport is a big advocate for natural gas. But in an anecdote illustrating the chicken-and-egg problem of infrastructure, Vice President Charles Musgrove noted that when it took a truck to Capitol Hill to promote incentives for natural gas, it couldn't get there on its own power. It was shipped by flatbed. However, with the determination of fleets like appeal of natural gas is its ability to bring in new, sustainability-focused clients. Contracts with those clients are multi-year deals that make the move feasible for Dillon and also lock in prices and capacity for the client. Musgrove offered a list of common excuses not to use natural gas, and his responses. ¥ Tractors are too heavy. In fact, he says, they can be lighter with Dillon Transport uses natural gas as a strategy to go after new customers for whom sustainability is a key requirement. the elimination of the diesel particulate filter, DEF tanks and other emissions equipment. ¥ Not enough range. Fleets and truck makers are developing more multiple-tank options that extend range. One of the trucks being used in its Tampa operation has two saddle tanks and back-of-cab tanks, giving it a 450- to 500-mile range. The operation is only doing 320 miles per shift. ¥ The engines arenÕt powerful enough. "We have 24 trucks that do it every day" with the 9-liter engines, Musgrove said, and the 12-liter is now available, with 15-liters from two companies in the works. ¥ I canÕt get the ROI without government assistance. Musgrove maintains it's working for Dillon without funding help. ¥ Drivers donÕt like them. Dillon's drivers do, he said. They're quieter, for one thing – and one driver even told him it might have saved his marriage because he no longer came home stinking of diesel fumes. ¥ Maintenance costs are too high. Dillon has found the costs to be reasonable. With most problems, when they do occur, being covered by warranty. Without maintenance costs to emissions control systems, it may even be cheaper in comparison. ¥ The infrastructure isnÕt there. Not yet, but it's moving quickly, and there are portable/temporary fueling options available. Waste Management California emissions standards may have herded Waste Management into natural gas at first, but it quickly took the reins. Today the Phoenixbased fleet is working to transition its entire 32,000-vehicle fleet. Marty Tufte, corporate fleet director, said the early driver of the refuse Deborah Lockridge • Editor in Chief 32 HDT • DECEMBER 2013 www.truckinginfo.com