The Association for the Work Truck Industry (NTEA) conducted its yearly December study and concluded that the No. 1 choice for the nation’s top fleets to start greening their fleet operations is biodiesel.
Eighteen percent of fleets now use biodiesel, up 3 percent from last year. The 2016 Fleet Purchasing Outlook Survey includes advanced truck technologies and alternative fuels trends for the United States and Canada.
“The evolution of alternative fuel technologies is still triggering change for vocational truck specifications,”
NTEA Managing Director Doyle Sumrall said.
“However, general interest has dropped in recent years due to persistently low oil costs and will likely remain muted until prices rebound. Despite current challenges facing the alternative fuels movement, fleet interest in biodiesel has remained strong, actually increasing in 2016 as compared to the previous year.”
Biodiesel is renewable, burns clean and can be used in existing diesel engines. It is made with a mix soybean oil, recycled cooking oil and animal fats.
“The evolution of alternative fuel technologies is still triggering change for vocational truck specifications,” J.D. Schulte, fleet manager for the city of Moline, Illinois, said. “Here in Moline, air quality is paramount to our quality of life. We made the switch to clean, domestically produced plant-based biodiesel 10 years ago, not only because it was a good choice for our fleet, but also because it was a good choice for our community. My advice to other fleet managers is if you are conscious of and serious about air quality and looking for an easy and cost-effective solution to make a positive difference in your community, biodiesel is a natural choice.”
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