July 12, 2012. In a continued effort to promote the benefits of natural gas vehicles for commercial fleets, Ryder System, Inc., a leader in commercial transportation and supply chain management solutions, is offering businesses an opportunity to test drive alternative fuel trucks for free. Local businesses in Sacramento that are interested in test driving natural gas vehicles can sign up for a free, three-day rental. Three different configurations of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles are available to test drive – a Freightliner Tandem Axle Tractor, a Freightliner Single Axle Tractor, and a GreenKraft Light Duty Straight Truck. The free three-day rental is valid in Sacramento until July 27, 2012.

   At a recent “Ride & Drive” event hosted at the company’s West Sacramento, California location on June 21, local businesses were able to test drive Ryder natural gas vehicles on site and sign up for the free three-day rental.

   “There is great interest in natural gas vehicles among commercial fleets, but some businesses are hesitant to adopt the technology because they are unsure how the vehicles will perform in their operations,” said John Gleason, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing for Ryder Fleet Management Solutions. “The Ride & Drive event and free rental offer is another way we are helping businesses experience these vehicles first-hand in a real world environment.”

   David Hodge, Operations Manager for Airwolf Express Courier Service, a Ryder lease customer based in Rocklin, California, attended the Ride & Drive event and test drove two natural gas vehicles.

   “The Ryder Ride & Drive event was very informative,” he said. “We do feel the industry is steadily moving toward a natural gas solution, not only due to the environmental aspect, but also because of the added benefit that it is cheaper than diesel. The natural gas vehicles we test drove were fantastic rides and seemed to have plenty of power. A cleaner and cheaper fuel, provided from a domestic source, is what we like to call a win/win. We look forward to exploring this option further in our business soon.”