MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a leader in commercial transportation and supply chain management solutions, has achieved a significant milestone with its fleet of over 500 natural gas vehicles surpassing 20 million miles. The fleet consists of liquefied natural gas and compressed natural gas tractors serving over 40 customer operations in California, New York, Texas, Arizona, Michigan, Utah, Georgia, and Louisiana. Since deploying its natural gas vehicle program in 2011, Ryder has replaced approximately 3.1 million gallons of diesel fuel with domestically produced natural gas and reduced emissions by more than 559,000 MTCO2e (metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions.
“This latest milestone reinforces Ryder’s continued leadership in commercial natural gas vehicle solutions and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to assist companies who seek alternatives to reduce fuel costs, carbon output, and meet their environmental objectives,” said Ryder Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Robert Sanchez. “As a provider of full service lease, commercial rental, and dedicated transportation services, our business model puts us in a unique position to enable more fleets to convert to natural gas and realize the benefits of this cost-effective, clean, and domestic energy source.”
“We are proud to make investments in alternative fuel solutions, which will further support the wider adoption of natural gas vehicles for commercial transportation,” continued Mr. Sanchez. “We pride ourselves on listening to the needs of the marketplace and developing the solutions that will help drive the industry forward.”
Customers can tap into Ryder's extensive knowledge of natural gas and rapidly evolving alternative fuels maintenance network, along with its highly trained and experienced technicians, to ensure the safe operation, maintenance, and fueling of natural gas vehicles. Ryder’s alternative fuels sales team can also help businesses determine which vehicle configurations work best for their specific applications.
Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc., the exclusive distributor of Anheuser-Busch products, as well as other craft beers and imports, across most of Arizona, is one such business that has realized the environmental and cost savings benefits of a natural gas vehicle fleet. The company worked with Ryder to convert their 23 vehicle delivery fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG) in 2011.
“Ryder has been our strategic transportation partner for 40 years and has helped us find an alternative fuel (CNG) that is not only cleaner and better for the environment, but that also enabled us to achieve overall transportation cost savings,” said Golden Eagle Distributors’ Senior VP Business Operations, Bill Osteen. “After four decades of working with Ryder as our transportation partner, we knew we could trust their team to select and maintain the right kind of CNG vehicles to meet the needs of our drivers and the loads we carry daily.”
As an industry leader in natural gas vehicle solutions for the commercial transportation market, Ryder is able to leverage its knowledge of emerging fleet technologies and government rebates and tax incentive programs to help reduce natural gas vehicle costs for customers and offer more competitive lease and rental rates in those areas that offer incentives. Ryder actively monitors public and private incentive programs in 47 states and provinces throughout the U.S. and Canada.
In addition to making natural gas vehicles available for rent or lease, Ryder’s “Flex-to-Green Lease” solution is designed to ease the transition to a greener fleet. Businesses that opt for Ryder’s Flex-to-Green Lease start out with a diesel-powered vehicle and then have the option to convert to a natural gas vehicle 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 includes substitute vehicles during unexpected downtime.
Ryder’s natural gas vehicle offering also includes a selection of light and medium duty compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, the first of their kind in North America available for lease or rent. The CNG trucks range in gross vehicle weight from 16,000 to 33,000 pounds and are ideal for metro/city delivery applications. For more information on Ryder’s available leasing options, please call 1-800-RYDER-OK.
In 2013, Ryder opened the first natural gas fueling stations in its North American network to serve both the general public and Ryder lease and rental customers. The Liquefied to Compressed Natural Gas (LCNG) stations, which are open to the general public, are located at two of Ryder’s maintenance and fueling facilities in Orange, California and Fontana, California – key facilities serving the Southern California region.
For more information about how Ryder innovates for the environment, read Ryder’s Corporate Sustainability Report.
About Ryder
Ryder is a FORTUNE 500® commercial transportation, logistics and supply chain management solutions company. Ryder’s stock (NYSE:R) is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Ryder has been ranked three years in a row as one of the top 250 U.S. companies in the Newsweek Green Rankings. Ryder is a charter member of the NGV Fleet Forum and a member of the Department of Energy’s National Clean Fleets partnership. Ryder is also a recipient of the 2011 NGV Achievement Award and has been recognized by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index. A member of the American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program, Ryder is proud to support national and local disaster preparedness and response efforts. For more information, visit www.ryder.com and follow us on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements and information included in this news release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on our current plans and expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Accordingly, these forward-looking statements should be evaluated with consideration given to the many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including those risks set forth in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks on our business. Accordingly, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.