Estes Express Lines orders additional CNG/RNG fuel trucks

May 27, 2021. Estes Express Lines, the largest privately-owned freight carrier in North America, has ordered an additional 50 natural gas powered trucks with Hexagon Agility’s market-leading 175 diesel gallon equivalent (DGE) ProCab® compressed natural gas (CNG)/renewable natural gas (RNG) fuel systems.

Estes’ new trucks will be equipped with Cummins-Westport’s near-zero emissions natural gas engines and Hexagon Agility’s integrated Blue iQ®. These new trucks will be delivered in Spring of 2021 and used in Estes’ California fleet.

Estes has signed a fuel supply agreement to fuel its CNG trucks with RNG.  RNG, made from organic waste, is a pipeline quality gas fully interchangeable with CNG and is the cleanest commercial fuel available. When sourced from farm waste, it can produce a negative-carbon footprint.

Estes was established in 1931 and currently ranks among the nation’s top 10 national less-than-truckload carriers with over 20,000 employees and a fleet of over 8,000 tractors and 30,000 trailers. These 50 new CNG/RNG trucks are in addition to Estes’ existing 21 CNG/RNG trucks operating throughout Texas.

“At Estes, we believe we have a responsibility to provide top-of-the-line transportation solutions while still remaining good stewards of the Earth,” said Michael Palmer, Estes Vice President of Fleet Services. “RNG is enabling us to drive towards carbon-negative performance while reducing costs in our LTL operations. With Hexagon Agility’s extensive expertise, we are fortunate to have them as our partner to help meet our sustainability goals.”

“Renewable natural gas is the lowest-emission fuel for truck fleets available today,” said Eric Bippus, Hexagon Agility’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Because its reliable, lower cost than diesel, and widely available, RNG is an excellent fuel choice for contract logistics fleets.”