Omnitek Engineering Corp. said it signed a contract with a European customer to develop a heavy-duty 13-liter natural-gas engine for Class 8 trucks and certify the engine to EURO 6 emissions standards, utilizing its patented technology.

LAS VEGAS — It’s the “second inning” of the natural gas industry’s involvement with the transportation industry, especially the heavy-duty truck sector, key advocates of the leading alternative fuel to diesel said.

LAS VEGAS — The price of fueling systems has fallen because of competition, a buildout of fueling infrastructure continues and fleets keep assessing and adding trucks, but continued growth hinges on these three key elements, the head of the nation’s only company building new natural-gas engines said during American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition here.

Natural gas presents a practical case for wider use in the trucking industry, with improved range, predictable return on investment, support for energy independence and lower engine emissions, top business and trade association executives said Sept. 19.

T. Boone Pickens, FedEx Chairman Fred Smith and NGVA's Matt Godlewski join ATA President Chris Spear to discuss natural gas advancements in this special LiveOnWeb broadcast.

Running a truck with natural gas instead of diesel cuts down on cost, noise and exhaust emissions. But those benefits come with a big caveat: There are only a few dozen places in New York state that the public can fuel up with natural gas.

An advocacy group that wants more natural-gas vehicles on the road is praising a bill passed in Colorado, which Gov. John Hickenlooper recently signed.

Green fleets today are in a market that is a far cry from a few years ago, when diesel prices were soaring and much cheaper alternative fuels, especially compressed natural gas, seemed on the verge of going mainstream.

TruStar Energy has opened a company-owned public compressed natural gas fueling station in Fort Myers, Florida, as a midpoint between Tampa and Fort Lauderdale for fleets traveling the Interstate 75 corridor.

Trillium CNG, the compressed natural gas company for Love’s Travel Stops, was selected by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to design, build, operate and maintain 29 CNG facilities in the state — calling it a record-setting public-private partnership.