MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ryder
System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a leader in commercial transportation and
supply chain management solutions, has achieved a significant milestone
with its fleet of over 500 natural gas vehicles surpassing 20 million
miles. The fleet consists of liquefied natural gas and compressed
natural gas tractors serving over 40 customer operations in California,
New York, Texas, Arizona, Michigan, Utah, Georgia, and Louisiana. Since
deploying its natural gas vehicle program in 2011, Ryder has replaced
approximately 3.1 million gallons of diesel fuel with domestically
produced natural gas and reduced emissions by more than 559,000 MTCO2e
(metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions.
“This latest milestone reinforces Ryder’s continued leadership in
commercial natural gas vehicle solutions and demonstrates our ongoing
commitment to assist companies who seek alternatives to reduce fuel
costs, carbon output, and meet their environmental objectives,” said
Ryder Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Robert Sanchez. “As a
provider of full service lease, commercial rental, and dedicated
transportation services, our business model puts us in a unique position
to enable more fleets to convert to natural gas and realize the benefits
of this cost-effective, clean, and domestic energy source.”
“We are proud to make investments in alternative fuel solutions, which
will further support the wider adoption of natural gas vehicles for
commercial transportation,” continued Mr. Sanchez. “We pride ourselves
on listening to the needs of the marketplace and developing the
solutions that will help drive the industry forward.”
Customers can tap into Ryder's extensive knowledge of natural gas and
rapidly evolving alternative fuels maintenance network, along with its
highly trained and experienced technicians, to ensure the safe
operation, maintenance, and fueling of natural gas vehicles. Ryder’s
alternative fuels sales team can also help businesses determine which
vehicle configurations work best for their specific applications.
Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc., the exclusive distributor of
Anheuser-Busch products, as well as other craft beers and imports,
across most of Arizona, is one such business that has realized the
environmental and cost savings benefits of a natural gas vehicle fleet.
The company worked with Ryder to convert their 23 vehicle delivery fleet
to compressed natural gas (CNG) in 2011.
“Ryder has been our strategic transportation partner for 40 years and
has helped us find an alternative fuel (CNG) that is not only cleaner
and better for the environment, but that also enabled us to achieve
overall transportation cost savings,” said Golden Eagle Distributors’
Senior VP Business Operations, Bill Osteen. “After four decades of
working with Ryder as our transportation partner, we knew we could trust
their team to select and maintain the right kind of CNG vehicles to meet
the needs of our drivers and the loads we carry daily.”
As an industry leader in natural gas vehicle solutions for the
commercial transportation market, Ryder is able to leverage its
knowledge of emerging fleet technologies and government rebates and tax
incentive programs to help reduce natural gas vehicle costs for
customers and offer more competitive lease and rental rates in those
areas that offer incentives. Ryder actively monitors public and private
incentive programs in 47 states and provinces throughout the U.S. and
Canada.
In addition to making natural gas vehicles available for rent or lease,
Ryder’s “Flex-to-Green Lease” solution is designed to ease the
transition to a greener fleet. Businesses that opt for Ryder’s
Flex-to-Green Lease start out with a diesel-powered vehicle and then
have the option to convert to a natural gas vehicle at any time
following the first full year of the lease. Flex-to-Green customers
enjoy all the maintenance and service benefits of a standard Ryder Full
Service Lease, which includes substitute vehicles during unexpected
downtime.
Ryder’s natural gas vehicle offering also includes a selection of light
and medium duty compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, the first of
their kind in North America available for lease or rent. The CNG trucks
range in gross vehicle weight from 16,000 to 33,000 pounds and are ideal
for metro/city delivery applications. For more information on Ryder’s
available leasing options, please call 1-800-RYDER-OK.
In 2013, Ryder opened the first natural gas fueling stations in its
North American network to serve both the general public and Ryder lease
and rental customers. The Liquefied to Compressed Natural Gas (LCNG)
stations, which are open to the general public, are located at two of
Ryder’s maintenance and fueling facilities in Orange, California and
Fontana, California – key facilities serving the Southern California
region.
For more information about how Ryder innovates for the environment, read
Ryder’s Corporate
Sustainability Report.
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. Ryder has been ranked three years in a row as one of
the top 250 U.S. companies in the 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 recipient of the 2011 NGV Achievement Award and has been recognized by
the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership
Index. A member of the American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program,
Ryder is proud to support national and local disaster preparedness and
response efforts. For more information, visit www.ryder.com
and follow us on Facebook,
YouTube,
and Twitter.
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.