LOS ANGELES, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to expand the awareness and adoption of natural gas and alternative fuels for heavy-duty trucking and goods movement, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) will host a series of free workshops in Southern and Central California. The series begins May 12 in Riverside and continues through October in locations including Los Angeles, Bakersfield and San Diego.
Current data shows some 200,000 heavy-duty trucks operate currently in Southern California. The goal of the series is to deliver information to fleet operators and owners to help them understand and assess the economic and environmental alternatives for heavy-duty trucks fueling. Representatives from SoCalGas will join experts on energy policy, environmental regulations and vehicles to discuss the benefits of fueling with alternative clean, proven technology.
"In addition to delivering cost savings to fleet operators, transitioning heavy-duty diesel trucks to alternative fuels such as natural gas can immediately have a positive impact on the health of Californians and our environment," said Rodger Schwecke, vice president of customer solutions for SoCalGas. "SoCalGas is pleased to keep our customers informed about ways they may be able to save money, clean up our air, and enhance the goods movement for businesses."
Fleet operators who have already transitioned to natural gas-powered trucks will be available at the workshops to share their first-hand experiences. Taking advantage of the cost savings and environmental benefits of compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling, major truck fleet operators such as UPS, 99 Cents Only Stores, Frito-Lay and others in logistics, goods movement, food and other global industries have already started to transition fleets to CNG fueling.
Ryder System, whose heavy-duty trucks have logged 30 million miles on CNG since 2011, will display new CNG-powered trucks. Ryder will also have experts on hand to explain how CNG has helped the company displace 4.6 million gallons of diesel fuel and cut 131 tons of smog-forming emissions.
As well as emissions and environmental advantages, CNG holds a cost advantage over diesel, especially in California. A comparison of CNG prices at SoCalGas stations and California diesel prices reported by the U.S. Department of Energy on April 20 shows drivers of heavy-duty trucks can save at least 26 percent on fuel costs. This can result in thousands of dollars in fuel-cost savings per truck, year after year.
For workshop questions, please call (818) 414-9329. To register online, please visit the natural gas trucking workshop information web page or visit socalgas.com and search for "heavy-duty trucking workshop." The following is the complete workshop schedule.
May 12, 2015 6:00 p.m.
Inland Empire
Riverside Convention Center
3637 Fifth Street Riverside, CA
May 19, 2015 6:00 p.m.
San Joaquin Valley
Hodel's Country Dining, Bakersfield
5917 Knudsen Dr. Bakersfield, CA
July 14, 2015 6:00 p.m.
Los Angeles — Port Area
Banning's Landing Community Center, Wilmington
100 E Water St. Wilmington, CA
September 15, 2015 6:00 p.m.
San Diego
Bully's East Restaurant
2401 Camino Del Rio South San Diego, CA
October 14, 2015 6:00 p.m.
Los Angeles — Downey
SoCalGas Energy Resource Center
9240 Firestone Blvd. Downey, CA
About SoCalGas
Southern California Gas Co. has been delivering clean, safe and reliable natural gas to its customers for more than 140 years. It is the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, providing service to 21.4 million consumers connected through 5.9 million meters in more than 500 communities. The company's service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 square miles throughout central and Southern California, from Visalia to the Mexican border. Southern California Gas Co. is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Co.