Switching to Natural Gas Fuel for Trucking

Every industry is going green nowadays, and that includes the domestic trucking industry. Emissions from freight trucks release smog and pollution that can contribute to health problems. For the trucking industry, the need to switch to green energy is also financial. Rising fuel costs (35 billion gallons of diesel fuel consumed annually by freight trucks) and other growing expenses are beginning to take its toll on trucking companies in the US. If more trucking companies switch to alternative energy as the fuel source for trucks, the cost of shipping by truck in the US could dramatically decrease.

In 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the SmartWay Transport Partnership to incentive trucking companies to voluntarily improve their environmental impact from energy consumption. Over 3000 companies, including freight carriers and freight forwarders, have joined the SmartWay Transport Partnership since its inception.

Recently, YRC Freight purchased 4 natural gas trucks for a pilot project in Southern California. The goal of the pilot project is to see the environmental and economical impacts of switching to natural gas for freight trucks. Domestic cariers are starting to turn to natural gas as the best fuel source. The many benefits of natural gas fuel include lower cost, lower greenhouse emissions and stronger energy independence in the US.

Shippers and supply chains are anxiously waiting to reap the benefits of green energy in the truck industry. When trucking carriers save money from reduced fuel costs, those savings are passed on in the form of lower LTL and trucking rates. That is why natural gas could be the top fuel source for domestic trucks in the US.