- 25 Heavy Duty Vehicles Made Available from the Ryder/SANBAG Natural
Gas Vehicle Project in Southern California -
MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R) announced today that it has finalized an
agreement to lease 25 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles to Fresh &
Easy Neighborhood Market, a leading grocery retailer. The CNG vehicles
are the first of their kind in the Fresh & Easy fleet and have been made
available through Ryder’s agreement with the San Bernardino Associated
Governments (SANBAG)
in Southern California. The $38.7 million Ryder/SANBAG project is part
of a public/private partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy,
the California Energy Commission, the Southern California Association of
Governments Clean Cities Coalition, and Ryder System, Inc. The project
includes 202 heavy duty natural gas vehicles, upgrades to three
maintenance facilities for the proper servicing of natural gas vehicles,
and the construction of two fueling stations.
Fresh & Easy is an existing Ryder Dedicated
Contract Carriage (DCC) customer, benefiting from a customized suite
of transportation services that optimize fleet operations including
drivers, equipment, management, and ongoing engineering support. Fresh &
Easy operates 176 grocery stores in California, Arizona and Nevada and
relies on a total fleet of 71 vehicles managed by Ryder to support store
deliveries from its Riverside, California distribution center. The first
15 CNG vehicles were delivered to Fresh & Easy in July and the balance
will be delivered in October.
“We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment, and
incorporating natural gas vehicles into our fleet is a natural step to
help us reduce emissions even further,” said Fresh & Easy CEO Tim Mason.
“Ryder has been an excellent partner in this effort, supporting our
efforts to save our customers money and to be a good neighbor.”
Natural gas vehicles produce 20 to 30 percent less emissions than
comparable diesel vehicles. In addition, natural gas costs as much as 42
percent less per equivalent gallon of diesel based on current diesel
fuel prices.
“When we can reduce our operating costs through more efficient
transportation technologies like natural gas, we can pass those savings
on to our customers,” continued Mr. Mason. “This natural gas vehicle
initiative directly supports our efforts to offer fresh, wholesome food
at affordable prices.”
On average, Fresh & Easy stores use 30 percent less energy than a
typical supermarket, which helps its customers save money – and also
helps the environment. The company installed a 500,000 square foot
roof-mounted solar panel on its Riverside distribution center – one of
the largest solar installations in North America. Fresh & Easy uses LED
lighting in external signs and freezer cases, offers customer recycling
in every store, and uses advanced refrigeration and freezer units to cut
back on energy usage. The company also recycles or reuses all of its
display packaging, sending the majority back through its distribution
center. In addition, Fresh & Easy is a member of the California Climate
Action Registry, the state’s only official voluntary registry for
greenhouse gas emissions, and The Climate Registry, a group that
standardized the measurement for greenhouse gas emissions across North
America. For more information, visit www.freshandeasy.com.
“Offering a natural gas vehicle solution to our logistics customers is
an innovative and efficient option to execute their supply chain
movements. It enables them to not only lower transportation costs and
increase efficiencies, but also has clear and measurable benefits for
reduced emissions,” stated John Sonia, Ryder’s senior vice president of
operations for Dedicated
Contract Carriage solutions. “Today’s complex supply chains require
unwavering operational excellence, and this new vehicle technology
enables our clients to transition their fleets without compromising that
in any way, with the added environmental benefits of natural gas.”
About Ryder
Ryder is a FORTUNE 500® commercial transportation, logistics and supply
chain management solutions company. Ryder’s stock (NYSE:R) is a
component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard &
Poor’s 500 Index. Inbound Logistics magazine has recognized Ryder
as the top third party logistics provider and included Ryder in its 2010
and 2011 “Green Partners” listing. Ryder also ranked 114 out of the top
500 U.S. companies and sixth in its industry sector in the 2010 Newsweek
Green Rankings. Ryder is a charter member of the NGV Fleet Forum and a
member of the Department of Energy’s National Clean Fleets Partnership.
Ryder is also a proud member of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster
Giving Program, supporting national and local disaster preparedness and
response efforts. For more information on Ryder System, Inc., visit www.ryder.com.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements
and information included in this news release are
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Federal Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking
statements are based on our current plans and expectations and are
subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Accordingly,
these forward-looking statements should be evaluated with consideration
given to the many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results and events to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements including those risks set forth in our
periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New
risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for management
to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks
on our business. Accordingly, we undertake no obligation to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Source: Ryder System, Inc.