Goodbye diesel. Hello natural gas. Earlier this week Kroger announced that the company is getting ready to be the first to deploy a fleet of heavy-duty trucks running on Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) as a means to cut operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
According to a press release put out by the company, Kroger is taking 40 diesel trucks off the road and replacing them with the same number of LNG vehicles. The trucks will be used to make deliveries to Fred Meyer and QVC stores in the Portland area.
"This is the first step in Kroger's effort to transition our fleet to alternative fuels," said Kevin Dougherty, Kroger's group vice president and chief supply chain officer, in a statement. "Converting to LNG trucks will allow us to reinvest savings into lower prices for our customers while also benefitting the environment."
Kroger said the vehicles would travel approximately 175 miles per day, six days a week for the entire year.
![[Image: Kroger Sustainability]](/public/images/discussions/17511/kroger-still.jpg)
"These trucks are nearly identical to our diesel fleet, which allows us to have minimal impact on operations and still achieve the same caliber and standard of performance," said Matt Hoffman, Kroger regional logistics director, in a statement. "They are truly the prototype truck of the future — the safest, cleanest and quietest way for our hard-working drivers to deliver product to the stores."
The grocer expects the fleet, which will be fueled at Kroger's distribution center in Clackamas, will reduce green house gas emissions by 755 metric tons compared to the previous diesel fleet. This equates to 159 cars being taken off the road every year.