According to transportation management company PLS Logistics Services' latest survey of industrial freight carriers, there is ‘significant movement’ toward the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in trucking operations.
This is the second year in which PLS has surveyed carriers – 100 of them – about LNG, and senior executives' attitudes and actions have both shifted in the last 12 months.
‘The results of our latest survey show significant movement within the trucking industry toward adoption of LNG technology,’ says PLS Chairman and CEO Greg Burns.
PLS notes that there has been a ‘significant increase’ in the number of survey respondents who are planning to buy LNG-powered vehicles, which attests to another important survey finding: that ‘a major shift in attitude’ is now apparent, with the majority of fleet executives saying they now believe that natural gas is a truly viable alternative to diesel.
Survey respondents did note that the relative scarcity of LNG refueling infrastructure is still a hindrance to higher levels of natural gas vehicle adoption, along with the cost of natural gas engines and fuel systems relative to their diesel counterparts.
Companies such as Clean Energy Fuels Corp. and Shell, however, are working on large build-outs of LNG refueling capability for heavy-duty long-haul trucking, and new engines (e.g., the Cummins Westport ISX12 G) are helping to close the LNG tech-cost gap.
More details about PLS's survey are available HERE.
