Natural Gas Conversion Bandwagon

The adoption of natural gas as a transportation fuel continues to pick up speed, as the industry begins to consider transforming from diesel, a fuel we have used for decades to natural gas. I understand the challenges in making the decision to switch to natural gas.

The refuse industry has been the front runner in this race for several years and for good reason. Natural gas allows our truckers to operate cleaner , reducing smog-causing emissions by more than 80% and greenhouse gas by more than 20% over traditional diesel-powered vehicles. And lets not forget there are more than 12,000 transit buses across the United States running on natural gas, and fleets of medium-duty vehicle’s as well. Now is the perfect time to embrace a cleaner, cheaper American fuel–natural gas. I don’t mean to dismiss the challenges to convert to natural gas as being insignificant.

While natural-gas vehicles do require a higher initial investment today of $35,000 to $40,00 for heavy-duty truck equipped with the 12 liter engine. Your investment can quickly be recouped when you consider that cost of natural gas. The saving on average is approximately one-third less than conventional diesel at the pump, depending on the market, the saving can be $1.50 per gallon, meaning you can recoup upfront costs in little more than a year. In addition, natural-gas trucks don’t require DPF’s(diesel particulate filters) or SCR(selective catalytic reduction) making the cost advantage that much clearer.

Truckers are now able to travel coast to coast and border to border on natural gas, thanks to a robust and growing network of fueling stations. By recognizing the potential of natural gas, carriers can benefit from lower overhead, and make for a cleaner, energy-independent future.

Micheal Judge

micheal@cassidytransport.com

BASED ON A ARTICLE FROM TRANSPORT TOPICS