Carrier Uses Arkansas Grant for Electric Yard Truck
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
An Arkansas state environmental grant for $166,023 has helped truckload carrier and full-service logistics company Continental Express Inc. modernize its operations with an all-electric spotter truck at a Nestlé USA plant in Jonesboro.
The grant was awarded last year by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as part of the state's Go RED! program, which has dispersed $830,000 to date in funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s state grants to reduce diesel emissions.
A DEQ spokesperson told Transport Topics that agency last year focused on expanding its outreach for grants to diversify projects directed at reducing emissions in Arkansas since a large percentage of past funding applications were from school districts.
State officials wanted to ensure the trucking industry was aware that the GoRED! grant program covers a variety of projects that can assist with the trucking sector, such as replacements for vehicles and engines.
Gottemoeller
“The program helps make it feasible for truckers to consider replacing older heavy-duty diesels with more efficient diesel-powered options, instead of pushing equipment to the brink of its useful existence, while saving on daily fuel costs,” the DEQ spokesperson added. “The offset offered by the grant also allows owners and operators to consider options that might have previously been out of reach economically.”
In January, Ohio-based Continental Express introduced its electric vehicle yard truck to the Nestlé operations in Arkansas. In addition to the tractor, Continental Express worked with Nestlé to fund and install an on-site electric charging station.
“We’re excited to kick off our electric spotter services with Nestlé,” said Brad Gottemoeller, vice president of Continental Express. “But by no means do we want to stop there. We have 30 spotters spread across six different states and are actively working on grants alongside our customers to help meet their sustainability goals as well as ours.”
He said his company looks forward to supporting and partnering with Nestlé to help the food giant meet its sustainability goals. Both companies are discussing plans to expand the quantity of EV trucks in Jonesboro and other facilities Continental services, such as Nestlé’s Fort Worth, Texas, location.
Continental Express has partnered with the Jonesboro facility for more than eight years and provides Nestlé with yard management services for food produced in Arkansas. (Continental Express Inc.)
Two Continental yard tractors operate out of Nestlé’s Jonesboro facility and each runs 24 hours a day. The electric truck replaces a diesel-powered tractor.
Continental Express, which specializes in transporting temperature-controlled and dedicated-route freight, has a fleet of over 1,200 trucks and trailers and more than 550 drivers and support personnel servicing 48 states in the continental U.S.
Continental Express has partnered with the Jonesboro facility for more than eight years and provides Nestlé with yard management services for food produced in Arkansas, including for its frozen brands such as Stouffer’s, Lean Cuisine, DiGiorno, Tombstone and Hot Pockets.
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing below or go here for more info:
