18 Trucking, a construction trucking services company based in Hayward, Calif., is reporting reductions in maintenance costs and less downtime for its fleet after switching to Neste MY Renewable Diesel.
Neste MY is a low-carbon fuel produced from 100% renewable and sustainable raw materials, primarily wastes and residues, explains Neste. Cutting greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 80%, it is a drop-in fuel that requires no blending and no engine modification.
Diesel particulate filters (DPFs) are an engine aftertreatment system designed to reduce emissions from diesel engines. Because they become clogged over time from soot and other particulate matter, the vehicles must routinely be taken out of service to clear these systems of the backup, explains Neste.
“After running Neste MY in our vehicles for a while, I noticed that I was not taking my trucks out of service for routine maintenance as often as before the switch,” says Gustavo Deleon, vice president of 18 Trucking. “When I was using other fuels, I had to take the trucks out to do a DPF regeneration every six to eight months. We’ve been using Neste MY for about a year, and we have never had to to clean them yet.”
Founded in 1996, 18 Trucking provides the San Francisco Bay Area with construction-related trucking services. It operates a fleet of 11 semi-trucks and 25 straight trucks.
“We’re happy to hear about the benefits to the DPF systems that 18 Trucking has seen and are excited for them to discover all the other ways Neste MY Renewable Diesel keeps engine systems clean,” notes Matt Leuck, technical manager for Neste US. “They’ll start to see cleaner filters, fuel injectors that last longer, less wear on fuel pumps and no microbial contamination. Their maintenance savings really have just begun.”
Neste says its MY Renewable Diesel also contains zero impurities and burns much cleaner than diesel typically available in California today.
“This can have an instant positive effect on exhaust aftertreatment systems – less soot produced can mean fewer DPF regenerations – and fuel system components, as a lack of impurities reduces deposit formation in critical fuel injector parts,” Leuck explains.
According to Deleon, the mechanical benefits of Neste MY were not what initially interested him in switching to the product. The biggest selling point was how the renewable diesel would help reduce his fleet’s environmental footprint.
“All of my equipment is pretty new, so I wasn’t too concerned about our pollution levels,” says Deleon. “But I wanted to be as environmentally conscious as possible. I wanted to be on the cutting edge in terms of green technology, and Neste MY is quite simply the cleanest option on the market for heavy-duty fleets.”
Neste MY Renewable Diesel is available to public and private fleets in California through authorized distributors. Western States Oil is the exclusive distributor of Neste MY Renewable Diesel for 18 Trucking.
