It's more available than most people think. However, it is nowhere near as available a diesel. Even for vague interest, go to http://cnglngstations.com/ and you can see both CNG (Compress Natural Gas) and LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) fueling stations. There are more fueling opportunities than just those, but it gives you a rough idea. That type of fuel is certainly coming. It is the chicken-and-the-egg theory. Which comes first? Carriers don't want them because of the limited amount of fueling opportunities and fueling stations don't want to spend the money building the stations without a demand for it.
I am aware of a company who is currently about 20% into a full fleet conversion (read: trading out diesel trucks for LNG trucks, not retro-fitting current diesel trucks) and they run pretty much the eastern half of the US. By the end of 2016, they will be 100% LNG. Certainly not local and the drivers don't get home every few days.
The bad thing about those trucks, when those drivers run out of gas, you call the wrecker, not the nearest T/A, Pilot, Loves, etc so they can send their mechanic with a service truck to bring you some fuel. Oh no. You have to get towed to a fueling location. Interesting little observation about the LNG trucks: they do not have a traditional fuel gauge that read FULL, HALF, EMPTY, etc. It is a pressure gauge, similar to your air pressure gauges.
Again, due to a lack of demand for them, there is also a lack of supply for them. Combine that with the new technology and you see the cost of the LNG trucks being considerably more expensive than a diesel truck.
Hope this helps, or is at the very least, informative.
Buying a truck
Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Thegig, Jul 3, 2015.
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Yugo
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freightliner coronado
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Maybe LNG is set up different but I drove a local CNG truck for a while and had the same factory freightliner fuel gauge as every other truck. Normal fuel gauge inside and the pressure gauge outside on the tank.
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Thanks guys for all of your input. Now I found a 2004 Mack vision cx630 for $16000. Can I go for it or your guys don't advise due to no many dealers and maybe parts on dollars on mechanic. Any advise will help.
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Only from what I can recall, Mack parts can be hard to find at a local truck parts dealer, that has say, freightliner or Volvo parts in stock. What I'd advise you to do is some additional homework and locate Mack dealers across America (network of dealers) , or at the very least, the areas in which you wish to run. These can either be full blown Mack dealers or authorized Mack repair garages, that can handle Mack warranty claims.Thegig Thanks this.
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I never drove a Coronado. Is it really that much better than Columbia or is it just looks?
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Might be just the looks. Freightliner used to have a "Classic" model, not exactly like say a Pete 379. But that baby had a long nose as well. Frankly, I liked that one over the Coranodo. I think the hood side vents make it look ugly, over say a traditional side mount air filter set up, like the Pete's
pic of a Classic Freightliner.
Grijon Thanks this. -
How about a Volvo 2001 9speed. Engine Cummins ISx. Is that good truck to buy or not really.
Last edited: Jul 14, 2015
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