PALM DESERT, CA - Heckmann Water Resources, part of Heckmann Corp., said it is transitioning its truck fleet from traditional diesel to natural gas. 

Encana Natural Gas Inc. will make fueling services available where Heckmann Water Resources (HWR) operates its fleet of water transportation vehicles. Heckmann will use the trucks to service its customers' natural gas wells and provide water handling services along with its system of pipelines and disposal wells. 

HWR has issued a purchase order for 200 Peterbilt 367 liquefied natural gas (LNG) trucks incorporating Westport Heavy Duty Systems (Westport HD) from Westport Innovations Inc. 

“We are proud to be the first oil and natural gas services provider to offer LNG trucks to our clients and to operate the largest fleet of LNG trucks in North America,” said Richard J. Heckmann, chairman and CEO of Heckmann Corp. 

Although the purchase price of NGVs is higher than diesel trucks, the reduced life cycle operating cost of NGVs typically delivers payback in less than two years in field applications. Additionally, because of cleaner combustion, the average operating life of NGVs is considerably longer, HWR said. 

“This is the first LNG truck order by a natural gas industry service provider,” said David Demers, CEO of Westport Innovations. “HWR and Encana are leading the way to leverage the clean, abundant and domestically available natural gas.”