Food distribution company Daylight Foods has deployed eight new Kenworth T370 hybrid diesel-electric trucks in its fleet to move goods in an area that covers Eureka to Bakersfield, Calif.
‘The older conventional diesel trucks averaged about four to five miles per gallon; with the hybrid trucks, we are seeing, on average, seven to 10 miles per gallon,’ says Tim Ault, transportation manager for Daylight Foods.
The Class 6 T370s feature the PACCAR PX-6 engine and an advanced hybrid propulsion/regenerative braking system. Daylight Foods was able to secure $160,000 in incentives from California's Hybrid Voucher Incentive Program (HVIP) to help defray the incremental cost of the vehicles.
The company also uses Toyota Prius electric vehicles for its sales operations.
‘When our team looked at using conventional vehicles for our sales team and our outbound delivery trucks and then compared them with hybrid vehicles, the decision was clear – it was in our best interest to use the hybrid vehicles,’ says Chris Vlahopouliotis, president of Daylight Foods.
