New Jersey Natural Gas Announces Addition Of Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles At Alternative Fueled Truck Conference

International Trucks dealership Mid-Atlantic Truck Centre, Inc., in Linden NJ, hosted the Alternative Fueled Truck Conference on May 19. The event, presented by International Trucks and the New Jersey Clean Cities Coalition, highlighted several pressing topics within the fleet industry including the adoption and retrofitting of clean technologies, alternative fueling options, and the benefits of right-sizing.

Toward the end of the conference, Robert Feldman, part of Mid-Atlantic Truck Centre's sales team, announced that his company and New Jersey Natural Gas had just closed on a major development. "Mid-Atlantic Truck Centre has been very, very fortunate to receive a very significant purchase order within the last 30-to-45 days from a leader in our community," Feldman said.

New Jersey Natural Gas will add five Compressed Natural Gas-powered International DuraStar trucks to their fleet. The trucks are part of a larger deal which also includes five conventional diesel vehicles. "(NJ Natural Gas) is taking the bull by the horns to show us all how CNG is one of the fuels of the future," Feldman said.

The announcement capped a morning of presentations devoted to the subject of fuel independence, and cleaner-burning technology, as well as the potential risks of inaction. Speakers during the event included Chuck Feinberg, Chairman of the New Jersey Clean Cities Coalition, who provided an overview of the day's itinerary; Mark Smith, Vehicle Technology Deployment Manager, U.S. Department of Energy; Ira Dorfman, Eastern Regional Manager and Internal Program Director of Emission Solutions Inc.; Mike Cecere of Clean Energy Fuels Corporation; John Bono, Vocational Sales Manager with International parent company Navistar; Darrell Trueman, Regional Sales Manager for Engine Control Systems, Canada; and Steve McCracken, Sales and Marketing Manager with AMERIGreen Energy, Inc.

Among the subjects open to discussion were the cost-effectiveness of biofuels, New Jersey's mandatory diesel retrofit program labeled "Stop The Soot" (www.stopthesoot.org), the growing acceptance of electric vehicles, Compressed Natural Gas and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), and the need to resist the temptation to purchase vehicles beyond necessity.

"Buying a bigger truck than what is needed doesn't work anymore," Feldman said. "Specifying a driveline, and an engine that has more power than you need, just in case, doesn't work anymore."

The event concluded with an attendee ride-and-drive in one of International's DuraStar hybrid vehicles, directed by Navistar's John Bono.

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