Ryder: LNG, CNG Fleet Surpasses 15 Million Miles (USA)

Ryder System, a leader in commercial transportation and supply chain management solutions, has achieved a significant milestone with its fleet of 320 natural gas vehicles surpassing 15 million miles.

The fleet consists of 36 liquefied natural gas and 284 compressed natural gas tractors, currently running in 37 customer operations in California, New York, Arizona, Michigan, and Louisiana. Since deploying its natural gas vehicle program in 2011, the operation has replaced approximately 2.3 million gallons of diesel fuel with domestically produced natural gas and reduced emissions by more than 5,290 MTCO2e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions).

“This latest milestone reinforces Ryder’s continued leadership in commercial natural gas vehicle solutions and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to find innovative ways to meet our customers’ transportation needs,” said Ryder Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Robert Sanchez. “Our leasing and rental offerings make Ryder uniquely positioned to help businesses take advantage of these new technologies with less downtime and other risks associated with ownership, so they can experience the cost-saving and environmental benefits.”

“We believe natural gas is the most viable alternative fuel solution for commercial trucking because it is clean, efficient, cheap, and abundant,” continued Mr. Sanchez. “It is good for our customers, as well as our communities and the country.”

Customers can tap into Ryder’s extensive knowledge of natural gas and rapidly evolving alternative fuels maintenance network, along with its highly trained and experienced technicians, to ensure the safe operation, maintenance, and fueling of natural gas vehicles. Ryder’s alternative fuels sales team can also help businesses determine which vehicle configurations work best for their specific applications.

In addition to making natural gas vehicles available for rent or lease, Ryder’s “Flex-to-Green Lease” solution is designed to ease the transition to a greener fleet. Businesses that opt for Ryder’s Flex-to-Green Lease start out with a diesel-powered vehicle and then have the option to convert to a natural gas vehicle at any time following the first full year of the lease. Flex-to-Green customers enjoy all the maintenance and service benefits of a standard Ryder Full Service Lease, which includes substitute vehicles during unexpected downtime.

Earlier this year, Ryder opened the first natural gas fueling stations in its North American network to serve both the general public and Ryder lease and rental customers. The Liquefied to Compressed Natural Gas (LCNG) stations, which are open to Ryder lease and rental customers, located at two of Ryder’s maintenance and fueling facilities in Orange, California and Fontana, California –key facilities serving the Southern California region.

Ryder became the first outsourced fleet provider to offer heavy duty natural gas vehicles for the leasing and rental industry through a groundbreaking natural gas vehicle 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 led to the deployment of 202 heavy duty natural gas-powered vehicles, which were made available to customers through rental or leasing arrangements or through Ryder’s dedicated logistics services. As part of the project, Ryder built two natural gas fueling stations and has equipped three maintenance facilities for the indoor servicing of natural gas 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.

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LNG World News Staff, October 2, 2013; Image: Ryder