A Q&A with Santa, and Fleet Manager Mrs Claus, of North Pole Inc
Making the switch to an engine that runs on compressed natural gas (CNG) can lead to substantial savings at the pump. And Ryder has begun venturing into this alternative fuel world by investing in natural gas trucks.
The company announced that it will be incorporating light- and medium-duty trucks powered by CNG into its available to lease and rental fleets. Overall, there will be 39 vehicles added to the fleet, which include 19 International TranStar trucks with Cummins Westport ISL G Engines and 20 Greenkraft cab-over vehicles with 6.0-liter GM natural gas engines.
Each of these CNG trucks range from 16,000 to 33,000 pounds and will be available to lease or rent in California. The fleet of vehicles will be stored and maintained at Ryder’s natural gas compliant maintenance stations in Fontana, Orange, Rancho Dominguez and West Sacramento. Regardless of the compliant stations site, these will be available for lease at any location Ryder offers CNG vehicles.
The funding costs for these vehicles was made available by the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee and the California Energy Commission. The company said that the funding helped make the rental and lease costs for the truck more comparable to a diesel-powered one.
The continued rise of diesel fuels makes using a CNG-powered truck considerably less expensive. The stabilized cost of natural gas makes switching to these vehicles a far more economical choice for Ryder, along with any other company that adds these vehicles to its fleet.
And by coupling CNG vehicles with their RydeSmart technology, the company is on the forefront of lowering its total operating expenses.
RydeSmart’s GPS tracking software allows fleet owners to monitor their drivers, which in turn reduces idling, increases MPG, and improves a fleet’s all-around efficiency. This telematics option allows for the fully maximized performance of any fleet!
By charging ahead with this technology and adding CNG vehicles, Ryder is proving to be an innovative game changer that will see its overall costs go down both in the short and long term.