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Renewable Fuels Gain Momentum in Trucking
Renewable Diesel, Biodiesel, Renewable Natural Gas Offer Sustainability Gains With Minimal Disruption, Industry Leaders Say at ACT Expo
Key Takeaways:
- At ACT Expo 2026, suppliers and fleets said renewable diesel, biodiesel and RNG are gaining traction as diesel alternatives in trucking.
- Diesel price spikes and relaxed emissions rules are pushing fleets toward fuels that can cut emissions with fewer vehicle technology changes.
- Suppliers said biodiesel can bridge renewable diesel’s cost and availability gaps, while fleets continue weighing economics and natural gas engine options.
LAS VEGAS — Renewable fuels are gaining momentum as viable alternatives to diesel in the trucking industry by improving environmental sustainability while minimizing changes to vehicle technology.
Renewable diesel, high-blend biodiesel and renewable natural gas are becoming more attractive options for fleet operators for multiple reasons, industry suppliers and fleet executives said during a May 4 program on clean fuels at ACT Expo 2026.
Recently, alternative fuels have become more cost competitive as conventional diesel prices have spiked amid the Iran war.
Another factor is the elimination of federal and state emissions regulations that would have pushed truck makers and fleet operators toward electric-powered trucks.
“Public policy has now started to reflect the real-world needs of balancing consumer costs, electricity reliability and availability, and equipment technology readiness,” said Adam Comora, co-CEO of Opal Fuels, a supplier of renewable natural gas.
“Combustion engines remain viable for heavy-duty transportation,” he added. “We believe that’s going to continue.”
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Comora discusses the economics of renewable natural gas. (Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics)
Renewable diesel, produced from sources such as hydrotreated vegetable oil and used cooking oil, is a drop-in replacement for petroleum diesel that can run in today’s diesel engines without modification.
Biodiesel, produced from similar feedstocks using a different process, historically has been used as a blended fuel. Today’s diesel engines generally allow blends of up to 20% biodiesel, but trucks equipped with Optimus Technologies’ Vector fuel system can run on biodiesel blends as high as 100%.
Renewable diesel is cost competitive and increasingly commonplace in California given the state’s low-carbon fuel standard. But elsewhere in the country, that fuel is a premium product that tends to be challenging to procure, said Optimus CEO Colin Huwyler.
Biodiesel, on the other hand, is more widely available across the United States.
“We see biodiesel as the strategy to bridge that cost and availability gap for renewable diesel,” Huwyler said.
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From left: Tippin, Huwyler and Vajapeyazula discuss opportunities for renewable diesel and biodiesel in the trucking industry. (Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics)
Renewable natural gas, produced from biogas sources such as dairy farms and landfills, offers another pathway to sustainable trucking.
Tractors equipped with natural gas engines cost more than their diesel counterparts, with Opal Fuels’ Comora estimating the price premium at $85,000-$100,000, but the lower cost of natural gas relative to diesel can enable payback periods within a few years, depending on the fluctuating cost spread between the fuels.
“Natural gas in North America is, was and will continue to be cheaper than oil,” he said.
Truck-leasing and logistics giant Penske Transportation Solutions often acts as an adviser by helping its fleet customers navigate the various alternative fuel options and vehicle technologies available on the market and find the right fit for their operations.
That process involves answering fleets’ questions about which alternatives are possible from a technical standpoint versus which are probable from a business perspective, said Josh Tippin, vice president of energy and fuel services at Penske.
“They want to be good stewards of the environment, but they need it to be economically viable. That’s where we come in and advise,” Tippin said. “There’s no one silver bullet.”
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A natural gas-powered truck on display at the Penske booth. (Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics)
Engine maker Cummins, synonymous with the diesel engine, has developed fuel-agnostic internal combustion engine platforms and is investing in zero-emission technologies through its Accelera business segment.
“Cummins is right now focused on creating a portfolio of solutions, because there is no one solution for the future in our decarbonization journey,” said Uma Vajapeyazula, a vice president at the company. “We want the applications, the customers and the economics of the market to determine what is the right solution.”
Supermarket chain Giant Eagle has embraced natural gas. The company uses RNG to fuel 82 of the 200 power units in its private trucking fleet, said Doug Glenn, senior manager of fleet maintenance at Talon Logistics, the transportation division of Giant Eagle.
“Giant Eagle has some very aggressive sustainability goals,” he said. “We believe that RNG is going to push us to our goal of carbon neutrality by 2040.”
Glenn pointed to Cummins’ new 15-liter X15N natural gas engine as an accelerator for natural-gas truck adoption.
“I’m very excited about the X15N,” he said. “That’s going to be a game changer for our industry. I think it’s going to open up a lot of opportunities for companies that were interested in getting into natural-gas powered vehicles but were hesitant.”
