13 Fleets Join NACFE’s Run on Less – Messy Middle

From Executive Director Mike Roeth

This year we are holding our fifth Run on Less demonstration. The event gets very real for me when we announce the fleets participating in the Run, even if sometimes the names we start with change by time the Run occurs in the fall.

Finding the right participants for Run on Less – Messy Middle was even more complicated than vetting participants for previous Runs. Since this Run is focusing on long-haul Class 8 trucks and featuring four different powertrain solutions, we had a lot of moving parts. To reiterate, this year’s Run will feature trucks running on diesel/renewable diesel, CNG/RNG, batteries and hydrogen fuel cells.

But after a lot of phone calls, emails and video conferences, the NACFE team working on the Run has finalized the list to 13 fleets. Some are names you’ve seen in other Runs and some are fleets that have never participated with us.

So here are the terrific 13:

• 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 to Be Announced 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 Ltd. 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 360 day cab tractor with a Cummins X15N engine using natural gas.

• 4Gen out of Rialto, California is operating a Volvo VNR electric day cab 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 Lancaster, Texas is operating a Hyundai XCIENT hydrogen fuel cell day cab tractor.

We have not finalized on routes but will do that soon as we are also in the initial stages of planning site visits to all 13 locations. And we’ve set September 8 as the official start of the 18-day Run.

I want to thank title sponsors Cummins and Shell and thank Geotab once again for being our telematics/data partner for the Run. And I want to acknowledge event and supporter sponsors. A full list of Run sponsors can be found here. Thank you all for your support.

The Run is getting real to me, and I hope you all are getting excited about it too. I can’t wait to visit the fleets early this summer and for you all to learn more about them in the fleet profile videos coming in August.