Food distribution company Daylight Foods has added eight Class 6 Kenworth T370 diesel-electric hybrid trucks to its fleet, with the new vehicles replacing older models. Daylight Foods’ Tim Kouretas, operations manager, said the company’s initial reason for making the switch was to be more environmentally friendly. That said, a mix of reduced fuel costs, combined with incentives, has enabled the company to pay for the switch. California’s Hybrid Voucher Incentive Program (HVIP) provided a $160,000 cash credit toward the vehicles.

In terms of fuel savings, the company’s Tim Ault, transportation manager, said the vehicles are getting 3 to 5 more mpg than the models they replaced.

“The older conventional diesel trucks averaged about 4-5 miles per gallon, with the hybrid trucks we are seeing on average 7-10 miles per gallon,” Ault said. “This is a huge savings for the company and the environment.”

He added the company plans to phase out additional older models and add newer diesel-hybrid trucks. The company also provides Toyota Prius hybrid sedans to its sales team.