Nicholas Trucking Co., Inc., an 80-year-old, family-owned Pennsylvania-based USPS mail contractor, now operates safe, clean, economical trucks fuelled with Autogas. The company runs multiple USPS delivery routes across Pennsylvania, and through this adoption, it is now providing cleaner air for the community.

“Autogas is familiar to all of us, and it’s something we can trust. It’s cleaner and safer than most other alternatives,” said Alexander Nicholas, Chief Operations Officer for Nicholas Trucking. “Our goal is to transition away from diesel and continually add more near-zero-emission vehicles to our 45-vehicle fleet.”

With assistance from the Eastern Pennsylvania Alliance for Clean Transportation, Nicholas Trucking was awarded USD 93,000 through Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Driving PA Forward program to purchase the three Ford F-750 LPG vehicles, equipped with Roush CleanTech’s technology. During a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Nicholas Trucking, the company announced it plans to add an additional five trucks within the year to further drive its emissions reductions.

Nicholas cites the rising cost of diesel as one of the major catalysts for the company’s move to LPG vehicles. The company, which elected to install fuelling infrastructure onsite through a partnership with AmeriGas, is currently saving more than 53% on fuel costs and will get USD 0.37 per gallon additional savings through the federal alternative fuel tax credit.

“Autogas vehicles offer the lowest total cost of ownership of any fuel type — conventional or otherwise. It allows fleet owners to significantly reduce emissions while saving on operation and energy costs—and do it without compromising on reliability, range, or performance,” said Steve Whaley, Director of Autogas Business Development with the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC).

Nicholas Trucking has also received positive reviews from its staff which highlighted the new trucks’ power and torque “are the same as diesel.” Moreover, “drivers don’t go home smelling like diesel fuel every day. They are surprised with the power a LPG engine can produce,” added Nicholas. “Our diesel engines do not do nearly as well in the cold.”

Source: PERC

8 November 2023