YRC Worldwide Inc. says its YRC Freight subsidiary is deploying four tractors that run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) to handle freight movement in Southern California. The vehicles will use natural gas refueling infrastructure in the network of Clean Energy Fuels Corp., which also coordinated the acquisition of the LNG-powered trucks.

"We are eager to test natural gas trucks in the Southern California area and see how they perform within our network," says Jeff Rogers, president of YRC Freight. The company notes that its maintenance, fuel and operations teams will analyze the results of the pilot project.

YRC Freight is engaged in other sustainable-transportation efforts, such as a pilot project for diesel-electric hybrids operating in the Northeast, as well as the use of biofuels. The company is also a charter partner of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA)  SmartWay voluntary emissions reduction program and a past winner of its Environmental Excellence Award.

"We are very excited to partner with a leader like YRC Freight on their LNG truck pilot project," adds James Harger, chief marketing officer at Clean Energy. "Through the benefits to their bottom line and to the cleaner air for future generations, we're confident that YRC Freight will become the latest enthusiast for natural gas as the fuel of choice."