Long Haul Embraces Natural Gas

The trucking industry has begun to shift away from petroleum to natural gas for fueling.

May 01, 2013

ATLANTA – More 18 wheelers will be powered by natural gas in the coming years as the trucking industry accelerates a change from gasoline and diesel to natural gas as fuel, Petrol Plaza News reports. In April, engine manufacturer Cummins started selling new, larger engines that would make cross-country trips with natural gas possible. 

United Parcel Service (UPS) recently announced expansion of its fleet of liquefied natural gas (LNG) 18-wheelers to 800 vehicles by the end of next year, up sharply from the current 112. “By us doing this it will help pave the way and others will follow,” said Scott Wicker, UPS chief sustainability officer. “Moving into LNG is a means to get us onto what we see as the bridging fuel of the future and off of oil. It’s the right step for us, for our customers and for our planet.”

Across the United States, a small network of natural gas filling stations has begun to add more locations for truckers to refuel. Big companies such as Procter & Gamble have expressed interest in hiring shipping companies with natural gas trucks.

Companies working on expanding natural gas networks include Clean Energy Fuels, which has 70 such stations, including many at Pilot Flying J truck stops. Clean Energy will open 30 to 50 more by year’s end. Meanwhile, Shell will build up to 100 natural gas stations at Petro Stopping Centers and TravelCenters of America.

The growing network “really has changed the interplay between the shippers and the contracted carriers," said Andrew J. Littlefair, CEO of Clean Energy. “The whole deal’s beginning to change.”

Federal and state governments offer incentives such as grants and tax credits for natural gas station installation and natural gas vehicles, which is helping to pave the way for more natural gas trucks in the future.

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