Estes Partners With Clean Energy to Expand RNG Vehicle Fleet

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. station
A Clean Energy Fuels station in California. Estes, headquartered in Richmond, Va., will use the trucks for the segment of its fleet in California. (Clean Energy Fuels Corp.)

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Clean Energy Fuels Corp. announced Sept. 9 that Estes Express Lines is adding 50 of its renewable natural gas trucks.

Estes, headquartered in Richmond, Va., will use the trucks for the segment of its fleet in California. The purchase will give Estes a total of 71 renewable natural gas trucks. The vehicles are expected to use approximately 2.8 million gallons of renewable natural gas over a seven-year contract.

“Switching to trucks fueled with ultra-low-carbon fuel is vital to improving air quality and fighting climate change in the regions that we serve,” Estes CEO Rob Estes said in a statement. “Clean Energy’s Zero Now program has enabled us to switch to cleaner fuel and engine technologies that make financial sense.”



The Class 8 trucks are powered by the renewable natural gas Redeem, which is derived from biogenic methane produced by the decomposition of organic waste. The trucks also are equipped with the Cummins Westport ultraclean ISX12N engine.

“By adding 50 clean, sustainable, natural gas trucks to its fleet, Estes demonstrates their leadership in the drive to lower the carbon footprint by the heavy-duty trucking industry,” Clean Energy Vice President Brett Lindsay said in a statement. “With the support of our Zero Now program, Estes has been able to easily and quickly switch a growing number of their trucks to RNG.”

Clean Energy Fuels provides natural gas fuel for transportation in North America. Estes purchased the trucks through the Zero Now program. The initiative brings the price of a natural gas truck at parity with a diesel truck. It also provides a guaranteed fuel discount for the duration of the agreement.

Estes ranks No. 13 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America. — Transport Topics

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