First PacLease Trucks featuring Cummins X15N natural gas Engine go into service

The air got just a little bit cleaner on February 27 as Bousum Trucking, a waste hauling company based in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, began running Kenworth T880 day cabs with Cummins’ new X15N CNG engine. Bousum operates eight of these units with the majority of the trucks leased through Motor Truck PacLease – the local PacLease franchise. These units represent the first CNG trucks featuring the X15N engine that PacLease has put into a lease program.

The eight new near-zero emission trucks emit CO2 and NOx at levels that are 90% below current EPA standards. They are being used in Centre County -- in central Pennsylvania near State College -- to move waste from the county’s transfer station to a landfill in Laurel Highlands, about 80 miles away. The landfill itself converts waste into renewable natural gas (RNG), which is then sold as fuel. A solar powered RNG refueling station near the landfill refuels the Kenworth trucks daily allowing these CNG trucks to accumulate nearly 130,000 miles per year.

According to Ted Onufrak, Executive Director of the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority, the county uses 22 RNG recycling collection trucks. “And we’re now pleased to see Bousum Trucking continue that momentum by adding CNG trucks to take approximately 110,000 tons of waste annually from our transfer station to the Waste Management landfill. We’re all committed to reducing emissions in our area.”

Liam Tanelli, CFO for Bousum Trucking, said the introduction of the 15-liter Cummins CNG engine is a “game changer” in allowing the company to move forward with an alternative fuel. “It meant we could now confidently handle heavy loads on the haul from the transfer station to the landfill,” he said. “The trucks are rated at 450 horsepower with 1,650 lb.-ft. of torque and utilize 12-speed automated transmissions – that’s the right spec for our operation. Each truck makes three round trips per day; drive time is 1-1/2 hours each way, and the trucks can face steep grade changes ranging from 8-12%. So, we needed the horsepower and torque of the industry’s first 15-liter CNG engine.”

Preliminary test runs, based on driver reports (and feedback) praise the performance of these CNG-powered trucks and how comparable they drive versus their diesel equivalent. “But obviously, the big difference is there are virtually no emissions from our CNG engines, and that’s a great benefit for everyone,” said Tanelli. “We will watch the performance and life-cycle costs closely as we use these trucks as our test bed as we look toward the future.”

The move toward CNG came after Bousum Trucking purchased their first Kenworth T880 CNG unit. Tanelli met with PacLease to see about the possibility of leasing seven Kenworth T880s with CNG engines. “PacLease had all their ducks in a row to simplify the process of bringing in new technology. We didn’t have to worry about a thing,” he said. “That went from spec’ing the trucks, to working with Pennsylvania to apply grant money to these trucks (The Pennsylvania Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant provided a $40,000 offset for each truck), to how maintenance and service would be handled – including working with Cummins in nearby Altoona. We had used PacLease in other areas and the trucks and service has been great. We have a lot of confidence in PacLease as a partner.”