City of Orlando Adds New CNG Trucks to Fleet, More to Come

The City of Orlando is adding new natural gas (CNG) trucks to the fleet in hopes of long-term savings, environmental benefits and an increased quality of life for residents. The first of the new natural gas trucks will be put into service this month.

The City purchased five Solid Waste Commercial Front Loader CNG trucks, costing $343,383 each, for a total of $1,716,915 according to the City. These trucks will be the first put into service in March 2015, but more are to come in the near future. Over the next 5-6 years, the City of Orlando will replace all 36 of its solid waste’s “big” trucks with CNG trucks.  These include commercial front loader trucks, waste rear loader trucks and grapple/roll off trucks – which actually will consolidate two trucks into one.

The City is excited about hopes of providing significant savings in fuel costs. Natural gas costs less per gallon than diesel, with city officials estimating an initial savings of between .75 cents to $1.00 per gallon.

The transition to CNG trucks will also help Orlando’s environment by reducing CO₂ emissions by up to 12.5 thousand tons per year. That is equivalent to planting 600 mature trees a year or taking 325 cars off the road per year. 

In addition to using CNG-fueled vehicles to cut costs and contribute to a cleaner environment, a benefit local residents may appreciate most is the fact that the new CNG trucks will operate 90% quieter throughout our city streets.

“These new trucks continue to further our Green Works Orlando initiative and our goals in leading the Southeast in sustainability,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “I am proud that the City of Orlando continues to lead by example in these efforts by implementing new technologies and improving the efficiency of our collection efforts to make our air cleaner, use less of our resources and save money for our tax payers.”