Another Feather in the Bull Nat Gas (NGY0) Cap…Ryder (R) Rents Green Trucks

Ryder System, Inc. (R), a global leader in transportation and supply chain management solutions, today announced that the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) Board has selected Ryder as its fleet partner in a groundbreaking heavy-duty natural gas truck rental and leasing project in Southern California. Ryder will use $19.3 million in state and federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funding secured by SANBAG to implement the project. This is the first time that natural gas trucks will be deployed into a large commercial truck rental and leasing operation.

As part of the project, Ryder will purchase more than 200 heavy-duty natural gas powered trucks. Both liquefied and compressed natural gas (LNG and CNG) on-board fuel storage systems will be used depending upon the specific type of truck purchased and the anticipated application. These ultra low-emission trucks will be deployed into Ryder's Southern California operations network, where Ryder's customers will be able to access them through short-term rentals, long-term leases, or through Ryder's dedicated logistics services. To support these trucks, Ryder will construct new natural gas refueling stations within the region and work with its customers to identify and utilize the existing natural gas refueling infrastructure already located throughout Southern California.

"Ryder has a longstanding commitment to industry-leading sustainable business practices that improve transportation efficiencies. We were one of the first national fleets to introduce low-emission and fuel-efficient technologies to the truck rental and leasing industry through the launch of our RydeGreen(SM) line of tractors, trailers, and hybrid straight trucks," stated Tony Tegnelia, President of Global Fleet Management Solutions for Ryder. "This SANBAG-sponsored project represents a tremendous opportunity to expand our RydeGreen program to include natural gas vehicles and introduce our 1,200 commercial customers in the region to a new innovative, efficient, and environmentally-sound fleet solution. Our intent is to use this project as a model that we can replicate in other parts of the U.S. where Ryder has a strong presence."

When fully implemented, this project will replace more than 1.51 million gallons of diesel use annually with 100% domestically produced low-carbon liquefied and compressed natural gas.