Whether it’s retail, food distribution, e-commerce, or logistics, companies from every industry, large and small, are realizing the benefits of natural gas vehicles according to Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a leader in commercial fleet management, dedicated transportation, and supply chain solutions. As fueling infrastructure expands and natural gas vehicle technologies continue to evolve, a greater diversity of fleet applications can now be supported by this alternative fuel.
Among recent Ryder deals are DFS Group, Dot Transportation, Inc., Move Loot, and TQ Logistics, all of which have deployed natural gas trucks leased from Ryder into their fleets and the communities that they operate. From an e-commerce start-up to one of the largest food industry redistributors, these companies are stepping forward to gain sustainability and economic benefits by using natural gas trucks to deliver for their customers.
“Ryder continues to see broadening interest in natural gas vehicles from businesses of various sizes and industries that see the longer-term environmental and fuel efficiency benefits,” said Dennis Cooke, Ryder President of Global Fleet Management Solutions. “When companies outsource to Ryder, they get the value of our extensive experience operating and maintaining natural gas fleets, so they can reduce risk, maximize performance, and speed return on investment.”
DFS Group
DFS Group, a leading luxury travel retailer, will be taking delivery of one Ryder CNG tractor this month. The natural gas vehicle will be used to support DFS’ duty free stores located inside the Los Angeles International Airport. “Bringing natural gas vehicles into our LAX operation reinforces our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint through smart, environmentally-sound transportation solutions,” said Parker Gundersen, Vice President for DFS North America.
Dot Transportation, Inc.
Dot Transportation, Inc., a subsidiary of Dot Foods, Inc., the nation’s first and largest food industry redistributor, has leased one Ryder CNG vehicle to support its day-to-day distribution operations in the Northern California region. The vehicles are serviced out of Ryder’s maintenance facility in Sacramento, Calif. which is engineered to meet the unique compliance requirements for natural gas. “After evaluating a number of different alternative fuels and strongly considering compressed natural gas for the past few years, we decided to partner with Ryder to place the first CNG truck in our fleet,” said Kevin Buss, Director of Fleet Maintenance for Dot Transportation, Inc. “Not only is it a cleaner fuel, but we also expect to see real fuel cost savings over time.”
Move Loot
Move Loot, a full-service marketplace for buying and selling home furnishings, has signed eight Ryder CNG vehicles in California. The CNG vehicles will support Move Loot’s operations in the Los Angeles and San Francisco, Bay Area regions. “Our company’s mission is to provide a more sustainable and efficient way to comfortably and affordably furnish the home, therefore a major component to that is providing in-house pickup and delivery services for our customers,” said Bill Bobbitt, Move Loot co-founder and CEO. “Ryder has been a strong partner in scaling our operations since early 2014, and we’re excited to further achieve our mission by converting a portion of our fleet to natural gas. This new project with Ryder reflects our commitment to making decisions based on what is right for our customers and for our environment, and Ryder is helping to make that possible.”
TQ Logistics
TQ Logistics, a dedicated trucking service provider with operations based in 23 states, has leased three compressed natural gas vehicles to support its dedicated transportation model in Milwaukee, WI. The vehicles are scheduled to be delivered in October. With the signing of TQ Logistics, Ryder now expands its NGV offering into Wisconsin for the first time. The new CNG vehicles will be added to TQ Logistics’ current fleet of Ryder leased diesel powered vehicles to support its customers’ sustainability initiatives. “Even with the drop in diesel fuel prices, the stability of natural gas fuel costs, along with the environmental benefits of natural gas vehicle technology, brings significant value to our customer’s dedicated fleet operation,” said Jim Foulks, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for TQ Logistics. “With Ryder’s help, our team is committed to providing our customers with the best overall delivery service while also helping them achieve the best transportation value in the industry.”
With a Ryder Full Service Lease, Ryder acquires vehicles according to the customers’ specifications and provides financing, maintenance, and fleet support services. Ryder also manages vehicle disposal to protect customers from residual risk.
Ryder is a leader in natural gas vehicles solutions for the commercial transportation industry, with 18 NGV maintenance facilities and more than 4,000 NGV trained technicians. Ryder’s natural gas vehicle solution provides fleets with everything from new vehicle configuration and specing, to advanced fuel tank system support, to fueling infrastructure planning and routing, to a vast NGV maintenance network and technicians to meet the needs of the customers’ distribution operation. Ryder’s commitment to its customer’s NGV uptime is also demonstrated by the company’s willingness to upgrade its existing maintenance locations to be engineered to meet the unique service requirements for advanced fueled vehicles. Ryder also provides technician training across its entire North American technician workforce to make sure that all personnel are up to date with the latest advanced fuel technology applications.
In addition to making natural gas vehicles available for rent or lease, Ryder’s exclusive “Flex-to-Green Lease” solution is designed to encourage and ease the transition to a greener fleet. Businesses interested in NGVs but that are not quite ready, can easily opt for Ryder’s Flex-to-Green Lease. They start out with a diesel-powered vehicle and then have the option to convert to an NGV at any time following the first full year of the lease. Flex-to-Green customers enjoy all the maintenance and service benefits of a standard Ryder Full Service Lease, which may include substitute vehicles during unexpected downtime.
