PORTLAND, OR - Paper Transport, one of the nation's leading regional truckload service carriers, recently reached more than 130,000 miles each on its two Freightliner Business Class M2 112 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles.

The Green Bay, Wisc.-based company has used the vehicles to haul freight between Green Bay and Chicago. Since taking possession of the CNG-powered trucks in winter 2010, Paper Transport has saved more than $1 per gallon in fuel costs.

"Fuel is the largest cost in our business, so being able to save that amount of money makes a big difference to our bottom line," said Jeff Shefchik, president, Paper Transport. "In fact, that's why we've just recently added five additional Freightliner CNG-powered trucks to our fleet."

Long-time customer Paper Transport already had more than 160 Freightliner tractors in its fleet. Because of his experience with the Freightliner Trucks team and products, Shefchik once again turned to thee company when he became interested in natural gas options.  

"Lowering our fuel costs and benefiting the environment were the initial selling points of the CNG trucks, however, our drivers also really appreciate the M2 112's comfort and visibility," said Shefchik. "And, even though these trucks have smaller engines, their power has been great."

Paper Transport's trucks include Allison 3000HS transmissions for optimum performance and efficiency. The ideal transmission for alternative fuel vehicles, Allison transmissions include patented torque converter technology that results in improved startability at the launch of the vehicle, full power shifts, and a better performing engine.

"The Green Bay-to-Chicago route we run gets very cold, but we haven't had any issues with startability or fuel gelling on even the most frigid of days," said Shefchik. "As with all of our Freightliner vehicles, the CNG trucks have proven to be productive and profitable."

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For more information on Freightliner Trucks, go to www.FreightlinerTrucks.com.