Gulf Oil LP, one of the Northeast's largest wholesalers of motor fuels, has deployed Model 386 Peterbilt trucks that run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) in its fleet. These 34 trucks all feature Westport HD's 15-liter natural gas engine.
‘We intend to convert more of our fleet and to supply and distribute LNG to our customers,’ says Laura Scott, Gulf's senior vice president of new business ventures. ‘The economic benefits are remarkable. For example, fleets that have more than 10 vehicles that use at least 20,000 gallons per year in a return-to-base operation can expect to lock in an after-tax internal rate of return in the 20 to 35 percent range.’
Gulf, for instance, locked in a five -year discount against diesel costs as a part of its LNG-truck rollout.
The company intends to start supplying LNG to customers in the transportation sector and to other bulk users. Gulf says it will assist its fleet customers in ‘all aspects of conversion, including vehicle selection, acquisition, hedging, operations and regulatory requirements.’
