UPS to Buy New Hydraulic Hybrid Trucks

UPS Inc. said Monday it will buy seven new hydraulic hybrid vehicles produced by Eaton Corp. and Navistar International Corp.

The company said it will be the first in the package delivery industry to purchase vehicles with the technology, which promises dramatic cuts in fuel costs and emissions, UPS said in a statement.

Hydraulic hybrids have diesel engines and store energy by compressing hydraulic fluid under pressure, the company said.

UPS announced the order at Centennial Olympic Park  in Atlanta, where the company is based.

Two of the trucks will be rolled out in the Minneapolis area in the first quarter of  next year, while the remainder will be deployed  throughout 2009 and 2010.

UPS’s current "green fleet" totals more than 1,600 low-carbon vehicles, including all-electric, hybrid electric, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas and propane-powered trucks.

UPS ranks No. 1 on the Transport Topics 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in the United States and Canada.