"The Time for Natural-Gas Trucking Is Now"

An opinion piece by Andrew J. Littlefair in Roll Call.

The logical next step for natural gas, from both a strategic and an economic viewpoint, is to maximize its use in our heavy-duty, regional and long-haul trucking fleets. Today, shipping goods from the East Coast to the West Coast poses a dilemma because of the high cost of diesel and the added regulations on that dirtier fuel. Natural gas offers an immediate solution.

The United States needs to adapt its heavy-duty, long-distance fleet to use natural gas, which would reduce the energy, time and environmental cost significantly. In the past, the challenge has been that the infrastructure — in the form of natural-gas fueling stations — was in its infancy and arguably unable to handle such a swift increase in activity.