Eagle Distributing of Shreveport Inc. has signed a full-service lease agreement with Ryder System Inc. for 23 compressed natural gas (CNG) tractors. The fleet at Eagle, an Anheuser-Busch distributor operating in northwestern Louisiana, will now be predominately composed of natural gas vehicles.
‘We are also changing out smaller fleet vehicles to CNG,’ explains Doug Jones, operations manager for Eagle. ‘We are committed and will continue to change out more vehicles this year and in the years to come until all our vehicles are converted to CNG.’
As a part of the agreement, Ryder will provide maintenance for the 23 NGVs at its Shreveport, La., service facility, which is being upgraded for compliance with natural gas standards.
‘With the availability and planned growth of natural gas fueling infrastructure in our service area in Louisiana, we believe CNG vehicles will continue to gain momentum as an environmentally beneficial and cost-competitive alternative,’ adds Brad Nichols, president of Eagle.
The company notes that it is examining the potential for opening its own CNG refueling station in the Shreveport area.
