?National logistics firm Saddle Creek Corp. is taking the plunge into a major alternative fuel project.
Lakeland-based Saddle Creek will add 40 specially made Freightliner trucks that run on compressed natural gas to its fleet of diesel trucks. It will spend nearly $6.8 million on the vehicles this year and will buy another 40 in early 2012, company officials said.
Saddle Creek also will invest $2 million to build a natural gas fueling station at its Lakeland headquarters, becoming the first for-hire fleet in the state to do so.
The aim is to reduce the company’s carbon emissions while saving money on fuel costs in the long run, said Mike DelBovo, president of Saddle Creek’s transportation division.
“This is going to be a big investment for us, but we think it’s the way to go,” DelBovo said. “It’s a great way to really get involved in the sustainability effort our country is so focused on right now.”
The Freightliner M2 112 tractors look like normal trucks but run significantly cleaner and quieter than their diesel-powered counterparts. Consisting mostly of methane, compressed natural gas is odorless and has up to 90 percent fewer emissions than conventional fuels, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Natural gas advocates also say it costs about half the price of gasoline or diesel, but it’s not widely available in the U.S., with about 1,100 domestic fueling stations and only a few in Florida. There are about 12,000 worldwide. The website CNGNow.com says natural gas powers just 112,000 vehicles nationwide, while 12 million such vehicles are in use around the globe.
Freightliner’s parent company, Daimler Trucks North America, has produced about 1,000 natural gas vehicles since adopting the technology three years ago, according to a spokesman. The M2 112 tractors were originally intended for use in port operations and by city governments, but Saddle Creek will task them with heavier duties, hauling products for retailers, supermarkets and manufacturers to destinations throughout Florida and southern Georgia.
Because natural gas fueling stations are rare, Saddle Creek’s trucks will be specially outfitted with extra tanks allowing them to travel up to 600 miles round-trip.
“There’s no infrastructure, so if we get stuck in a spot 40 miles away, we’re out of luck,” said Tom Collins, a spokesman for Saddle Creek.
Adopting the natural gas technology comes with a price tag. DelBovo said each truck will cost Saddle Creek about $65,000 more than a diesel model would and will get about 10 percent fewer miles per gallon on the road.
“We will be able to have a payback over time,” DelBovo said. “It’s the right thing to do for the environment and the right thing to do for the long term.”
Collins also said Saddle Creek hopes to attract new clients looking for ways to improve their own “green” initiatives.
At least one business has already had success with compressed natural gas trucks in Polk County. Florida Refuse (also known as Republic Services), which provides garbage pickup service in Polk, announced it December that it was introducing 41 natural gas trucks to its local fleet.
Republic Services plans to add another 35 natural gas trucks next year for its recycling and commercial garbage pickup operations, said area manager Mark Talbott.
“With the way diesel prices continue to go up, for us to stay competitive we want to invest in that (natural gas) technology,” Talbott said. “We’ve had no issues. The trucks run quieter and the drivers really like them.”
Article source: http://www.cngnow.com/News/Post.aspx?ID=494