UPS announced this week it will add 1,000 propane-powered trucks to its delivery fleet within a year. The parcel delivery service has been steadily working to adopt clean transportation technology and this new fleet of trucks will join the 900 or so propane-powered vehicles already in use.
The trucks will be used largely in rural areas, with locations in Oklahoma and Louisiana being the first to receive vehicles. UPS’ director of fleet procurement, Mike Casteel, says the company chose those locations because of incentive programs for alternative fuel fleet vehicles and the above-average mileage delivering along rural routes.
State incentives, fleet composition, and route characteristics will largely determine where the remaining trucks will be placed, aiming for 20-25 vehicles per site. The first trucks should be in use by mid-year with full deployment anticipated by mid-2015.