Saia Inc. announces its latest investment in alternative fuel technology with the launch of five compressed natural gas (CNG) tractors at its Fontana, California terminal. The new tractors are in addition to two Volvo VNR Electric trucks deployed in the Southern California region in April. These CNG investments are the latest effort to test the best combination of efficiency and clean technology.
“Saia operates one of the most advanced and clean diesel fleets in the industry. As we continually work to improve our fleet’s performance and reduce our carbon impact, we partnered with Freightliner, Daimler AG, Clean Energy Fuels, Agility Logistics, and Cummins on the development of these new CNG tractors,” said Saia President and CEO Fritz Holzgrefe. “Saia has a history of championing environmentally friendly initiatives, such as these tractors, that utilize forward-thinking technologies to reduce emissions.”
CNG engines provide improving efficiency, while also reducing greenhouse emissions by up to 20% compared to the average diesel engine. “Cummins Westport’s CNG engines feature combustion technology that means less particulate filters, regenerations, or selective catalytic reduction equipment,” explained Holzgrefe. “More simply put, the engines help minimize our environmental impact.”
Additionally, the CNG technology provides advanced driver and equipment safety features that further mitigates risk in the event of an accident to protect both the driver and the public compared to current diesel technology.
“As a company, we embrace our responsibility to our neighbors, the environment and the communities in which we operate,” stated Holzgrefe. “These units allow Saia to explore this technology, and strengthen our sustainability initiatives. As we identify and validate the performance capabilities of these and other alternative fuel equipment, we will seek to further invest and deploy these vehicles in our network operations.”
