Penske Announces Nat-Gas Grants From Texas, DOE
DALLAS — Penske Truck Leasing announced two grants under which it will receive $1.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy and state of Texas to boost alternative natural-gas use in its fleet.
Penske received four grants totaling $1.1 million from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality under the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan. The truck leasing firm will use the grant money to subsidize purchase of 23 natural gas-powered Freightliner Cascadia tractors with Cummins Westport 12-liter engines.
Penske likely will deploy the trucks in the Houston and Dallas markets to "allow our customers to enjoy natural-gas vehicles at a more competitive cost," said Drew Cullen, Penske's senior vice president of fuels and facilities services.
A $400,000 grant from DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will help fund Penske's alternative -fuel vehicle demonstration and enhanced driver experience project.
"We plan to target customers who currently don't have natural-gas equipment because they may have been deterred by the high vehicle cost and lack of information," said Matt Krasney, Penske's director of alternative fuels.
Penske announced the grants at the annual ACT Expo conference and exhibition being held here this week.
Penske Truck Leasing is the parent company of Penske Logistics, which ranks No. 32 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.
