Dive Brief:

• Michael Forte's business is picking up, he needs to double his 25-dump-truck fleet for hauling construction materials, and he has determined that he can do it and pay the same amount to fuel 50 trucks as he has been paying for 25 if he moves the fleet onto compressed natural gas (CNG).
• MJF Materials, based in Lindenwold, New Jersey, runs its trucks about 80,000 miles a year to take sand and stone to asphalt and concrete plants, and diesel prices have been running about $4 a gallon on average after varying wildly.
• Forte has taken delivery of 20 Peterbilt trucks driven by Cummins ​Westport 12-L CNG engines, will have five more in the next few months and plans to have his 25 diesel rigs replaced with CNG units by the end of next year.

Dive Insight:

Without disclosing actual numbers, Forte said his calculations show he will recoup the investment in new rolling stock and a fast-fill fueling station within the trucks' useful lives. The station will also be open to non-company vehicles and may bring in additional income from that.