In my last blog, I referred to the bold fleets that have agreed to participate in our upcoming Run on Less – Messy Middle event that will take place beginning September 8.
In this week’s blog, I am delighted to announce who those fleets are.
The following 13 fleets are participating in Run on Less – Messy Middle.
- Albert Transport, out of Laredo, Texas, is operating a highly efficient 2022 Freightliner Cascadia sleeper tractor with a Detroit DD 15 engine running on diesel.
- Frito-Lay, out of Topeka, Kansas, is operating a Volvo VNL sleeper tractor with an Optimus Technologies system using B99 biodiesel.
- A fleet yet to be announced, is operating a heavy-duty tractor running on renewable diesel.
- Mesilla Valley Transportation, out of Las Cruces, New Mexico, is operating an International LT sleeper tractor with a Cummins 2027 X15 engine running on diesel.
- Kleysen Group, out of Edmonton, Alberta, is operating a Kenworth T880 sleeper tractor with a Cummins X15N using natural gas.
- UPS, out of Salt Lake City, Utah, is operating a Kenworth T680 day cab tractor with a Cummins X15N engine using natural gas.
- Wegmans, out of Rochester, New York, is operating a Peterbilt 567 day cab tractor with a Cummins X15N engine using natural gas.
- 4Gen, out of Rialto, California, is operating a Volvo VNR day cab electric tractor.
- JoyRide Logistics, out of Phoenix, Arizona, is operating a battery electric Windrose sleeper tractor.
- Nevoya, out of Colton, California, is operating a battery electric Freightliner eCascadia day cab tractor.
- Saia, out of Stockton, California, is operating a battery electric Tesla Semi day cab tractor.
- Pilot Travel Centers, out of Bloomington, California, is operating a Hyundai XCIENT hydrogen fuel cell day cab tractor.
- Penske Logistics, out of Katy, Texas, is operating a Hyundai XCIENT hydrogen fuel cell day cab tractor.
This, our fifth Run, is different from previous Runs in that it will feature four different powertrain technologies—diesel, natural gas, batteries, and hydrogen fuel cells. Even though the powertrains will be different, all the fleets will operate Class 8 vehicles, either sleeper or day cabs, in long-haul return-to-base or over-the-road applications. Think of this as four Runs in one!
See also: Carriers across the industry join NACFE's 'Messy Middle' Run
I am always excited when we hold a Run on Less demonstration, but I am extra excited about this one. For one thing, we have fleets operating in a variety of geographic locations. We also have some larger fleets and some smaller ones. Some fleets with long histories are in the Run and a few relatively new fleets are joining us. The Run also is featuring some tried-and-true truck makers as well as several companies that are relatively new.
We are hard at work determining what the dashboard with the metrics for each truck will look like for the 18 days of the Run. Our partner on the Run on Less website, LTL MTN, has shown us some amazing prototype pages that we are tweaking to get it just right so that they will contain all the information you are looking for in an easily accessible format.
September seems both far away and close at the same time. The NACFE team is gearing up to introduce some of the Run on Less – Messy Middle participants to you at ACT Expo and then, beginning in June, will visit all 13 sites to interview the fleets and put together the fleet profile and stories from the Run videos that provide insight into the fleets and discuss the benefits and challenges of each of the technologies. We are again partnering with James Brown of JBM Creative for the video production.
Announcing the fleets always makes the Run seem more real to me. I want to thank the 13 fleets that have agreed to let us peek behind the curtain at their operations for the betterment of the industry. And I want to thank all of you who follow the Run and take what you learn back to your own organizations to help improve your operations and make the entire trucking industry more efficient.
I can’t wait for September 8 to get here!
