TORONTO—Canadian Linen and Uniform Service, a leading supplier of linen and uniform rental services in North America, announced the launch of a pilot program that will test three new types of alternative fuel vehicles in an effort to positively impact the environment and assess the impact on the company’s overall operations. Compressed natural gas (CNG), propane and plug-in electric vehicles will be tested this fall and throughout the upcoming year.
“We have one of the largest fleets in the industry, so we have the capacity to put some resources towards reducing emissions while exploring the impact on fuel costs,” said Andrew Steiner, Vice President of Marketing and Customer Operations. “We feel it’s our responsibility to consider and pilot programs utilizing alternative fuel options and support the advancement of these new technologies.”
Compressed natural gas is a cleaner burning fuel that produces less carbon emissions and lowers exposure to fuel price rate increases. Five compressed natural gas trucks have been deployed in August and five more will be deployed in October.
Propane Trucks to be Tested
Canadian Linen will also be testing propane trucks this fall. They are expected to have less price volatility and lower vehicle costs than diesel. Preliminary estimates project a reduction of 17 percent in greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, electric trucks will be piloted in 2014 and are expected to have lower maintenance costs and zero gas emissions.
“This alternative fuel program is a part of a larger company initiative to reduce energy consumption and our carbon footprint,” Steiner said. “We’ve already replaced many of our cargo vans with fuel efficient sedans and rerouted a majority of our service routes to reduce mileage. We’ve also incorporated better controls to reduce idling and speeding and implemented better training and communication with our drivers to increase awareness and promote behavioral change.”
In addition to alternative fuel vehicles, Canadian Linen is rolling out double-decker semi-truck trailers that have twice as much capacity for cargo and will greatly reduce fuel and emissions. The trailers are manufactured by Innovative Trailer Design out of Mississauga, Ontario and are currently being deployed at several branches.
