Pennsylvania-based logistics company Modern Transportation says the dedicated route that the firm runs between Sanford, N.C., and Savannah, Ga., on behalf of client Owens Corning is now powered 100% by natural gas.
This deployment is among the first commercial routes in North America that is leveraging the ISX12 G 11.9-liter natural gas engine from Cummins Westport. The engines are integrated into Freightliner Cascadia day cabs that Old Dominion Truck Leasing provided to Modern Transportation.
Owens Corning itself has committed to transitioning its supply chain to natural gas-fueled solutions.
‘We have challenged our supply chain/logistics partners to join us in dramatically reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of our inbound raw materials and outbound finished products,’ says Frank O'Brien-Bernini, Owens Corning's chief sustainability officer. ‘Modern Transportation has proactively embraced this challenge. We applaud their initiative in contributing to our diesel-to-natural gas conversion strategy.’
Modern Transportation explains that the company was waiting on the performance that the 12-liter power plant would bring before shifting to natural gas-powered fleet operations.
‘The horsepower required to move the freight loads common to heavy bulk trucking – particularly for the high volume, mission-critical manufacturers who demand safe, reliable and responsive service – made the 12-liter motor a necessity,’ says Patrick Cozzens, president of Modern Transportation. ‘As the NG fuel supply infrastructure matures, we believe this generation of NG-fueled engines will transform the face of trucking.’
The Modern Transportation fleet refuels at Clean Energy Fuels' natural gas station in Latta, S.C. The trucks can complete each 600-mile round trip on a single fueling, the company says.
