LA CROSSE, Wis. – Kwik Trip Inc recently added both compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicles to its fleet, since it sells both fuels at 15 of its 340 retail locations in addition to gasoline, Petrol Plaza News reports.

“We wanted to look at them both, to learn the advantages and disadvantages, to learn how to spec them, so that as we talk to fleet customers we can speak to our experiences,” said Joel Hirschboeck, superintendent of alternative fuels for Kwik Trip.

The company employs several LNG trucks and CNG trucks to haul fuel and other goods from store to store. Kwik Trip has an extensive driver course in order to train drivers in how to handle the vehicles. “Natural gas gives pretty close to diesel performance in our application and the way we’ve got our trucks set up, including governing at 60 mph,” said Hirschboeck.

Daily, Kwik Trip moves around a thousand gallons of natural gas, which include sales to the public and the trucks in its fleet. “It’s a very safe fuel,” he said. “All trucks have safety measures, with positive nozzle locks so there’s no leakage while fueling, like you can have with gasoline and diesel.”

More convenience retailers are embracing natural gas, including Hutch’s in Okalahoma and Stripes in Texas.