Penske Truck Leasing announced May 7 during the Alternative Clean Energy (ACT) Expo that it was awarded grants totaling $525,000 from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC) in Diamond Bar CA. The grants will help offset the company’s costs to modify its existing locations in Southern California and enable it to provide maintenance services on trucks with engines that run on natural gas.
Each Penske facility will receive $75,000 grants (estimated completion dates listed in parentheses):
- 2000 E Wilshire Ave, Santa Ana (Q4 2014)
- 2727 S Santa Fe Ave, Vernon (Q4 2014)
- 19646 S. Figueroa St, Carson (2015)
- 14228 Slover Ave, Fontana (2015)
- 15050 Northam Rd, La Mirada (2015)
- 2300 E Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles (2015)
- 11200 Peoria St, Sun Valley (2015)
“Natural gas is a growing option for trucking fleets when it comes to fuel sources,” said Jennifer Sockel, senior vice-president of administration and facilities for Penske Truck Leasing. “These facility retrofits will enable us to better serve our truck fleet customers in the region and support their sustainability goals now and into the future.”
Penske currently has several facilities nationally (Baltimore; Davenport IA; Phoenix; Pottsville PA; Neenah WI; Salt Lake City; and Wilkes-Barre PA) that are ready to service or currently service natural gas vehicles and more than a dozen others being retrofitted as part of upcoming new construction for NGV maintenance in select markets. Penske also has customer onsite NGV maintenance locations.
Penske also announced that it has 85 compressed natural gas (CNG) Freightliner Cascadia semi-tractors available for commercial rental use in select markets. These day cab semi-tractors are equipped with Cummins Westport 12-liter engines.
“An increasing number of customers have expressed a desire to incorporate natural gas vehicles into their fleets to further reduce emissions,” says Don Mikes, senior vice-president-Rental, Penske Truck Leasing. “These rental semi-tractors allow our customers to field test the units and experience how they will use them within their daily business. If a customer wants a more-permanent solution we can easily transition them into a full-service lease.”
CNG semi-trucks from Penske are currently in-stock and ready to rent in select markets including: Southern California, Northern California, Phoenix AZ, Denver CO, Salt Lake City UT, Dallas-Fort Worth TX, Atlanta GA, and Baltimore MD. In the near future, natural gas rental trucks will be available in Milwaukee WI and Houston TX as well as other markets.