Dillon Transport adding 25 LNG-fueled T800s with ISX12 G engine

May 21, 2013
Dillon Transport will add 25 Kenworth T800 short hood day cabs powered by the new Cummins Westport ISX12 G heavy duty natural gas engine to its 450+ truck fleet starting this summer

Dillon Transport will add 25 Kenworth T800 short hood day cabs powered by the new Cummins Westport ISX12 G heavy duty natural gas engine to its 450+ truck fleet starting this summer.

The tank truck carrier plans to operate the 25 T800 tractors from its Dallas TX terminal to haul asphalt, sand, and other raw bulk products. The trucks are specified with both a 72- and a 150-gallon LNG (liquefied natural gas) fuel tank to provide a range of approximately 650 miles. The trucks are expected to make two 600-mile round trips per day in a driver slip-seat operation. LNG refueling will typically be done twice a day at the Clean Energy station located at Dillon Transport’s Dallas terminal.

“We’re excited to expand our leadership in natural gas trucks by becoming among the first Kenworth customers to select the Cummins Westport ISX12 G engine,” says Jeff Dillon, president and owner of Dillon Transport, a leading liquid and dry bulk carrier based in Burr Ridge IL, with an operational concentration east of the Rockies. “The Kenworth T800 is a high quality, rugged, and reliable truck that fits well into our green initiatives.”

The Cummins Westport ISX12 G engine requires a single fuel source and can run on either LNG or CNG (compressed natural gas), both of which are cost effective, low carbon, and low emissions fuels. The natural gas engine uses a maintenance-free, three-way catalyst and does not require a diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tank, diesel particulate filter (DPF), or selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology. Kenworth offers the ISX12 G in ratings to 400-horsepower and 1,450 ft-lb torque.

“The new ISX12 G offers an excellent natural gas option for those regional, refuse and pickup and delivery applications that need a little more power and torque than the 8.9-liter Cummins Westport ISL G,” says Andy Douglas, Kenworth national sales manager for specialty markets.

With more natural gas fueling facilities opening across the United States and Canada, and more North American production coming on line in the months and years to come, Douglas says he expects natural gas to become an even more readily accessible fuel.