Michael Bates of Next-Gen Transportation News writes how one PA-based trucking company has initialized plans to build its first CNG fueling station and also to begin converting their fleet to CNG. Additionally, the company will open the CNG fueling station to the public.
“Beemac Trucking, a heavy-duty flat-bed carrier that specializes in hauling steel products across the continental U.S., is dipping its toes in natural-gas-powered transportation, beginning with compressed natural gas (CNG) tractors and a CNG refueling station.
The Pennsylvania-based company, which operates a fleet of about 250 trucks and has terminals all over the lower 48 states, is holding a ground-breaking ceremony on its CNG station next week – a development David Dudo, senior vice president of operations, says is a major stepping stone toward making Beemac’s natural gas vehicle (NGV) initiative viable.
He tells NGT News that Hunt, Guillot & Associates LLC designed the station, and local engineering and contracting firm McCarl’s Inc. won the bid to build the facility. The station will feature two fast-fill pumps, each with two dispensers – one for transit buses and other large NGVs, and one for smaller vehicles.
“There is a sizable up-front investment,” Dudo says. “There’s a lot involved with the project.”
Beemac is in the queue to secure grant money and other financial support, but the CNG station is not dependent on a booster. Equipment and construction will be privately funded through the company, which is committed to pursuing the project with or without subsidies.
“The return on investment is there,” he notes. “It’s easy to do the math.”
