Roeth: Join our 'messy' dialogues about your fleet's future

We just completed the second session of our Run on Less—Messy Middle Boot Camp. The first three sessions focused on diesel and natural gas. Later, in preparation for the September Run, we will hold sessions on battery electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

This is the third time we’ve conducted a boot camp before the Run, but we’ve added a twist to this one. We will host a two-hour, invite-only workshop at the end of each technology module. Note: The way to get invited is to attend one of the three previous boot camp sessions.

While each boot camp session allows some time for questions, the majority of the time is spent listening to experts share their knowledge about each powertrain solution.

The workshops will be different, and the first part will be more of a fireside chat. I will quickly recap some of the most interesting things we heard during the three sessions and some things we think need to be explored further.

Then, borrowing a page from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, I am going to phone a friend—actually three friends. Adam Buttgenbach, director of fleet engineering and sustainability at PepsiCo; Ian MacDonald, VP of sales, Americas at Hexagon Agility; and Derek Matthews, global partnership manager at BAE Systems have agreed to be part of the workshop and join me in a conversation about developments in diesel and natural gas and their renewable counterparts.

See also: Roeth: Better definitions lead to better choices

For the second hour of the workshop, participants will select breakout sessions moderated by NACFE staffers but designed to be open dialogues where session participants share their experiences, delve deeper into the topic, and ask questions.

We know the boot camp sessions have already provided and will continue to provide a wealth of information, but we also know that sometimes, too much information delivered through our computers can overwhelm us. So, the workshops are designed to clarify each part of the Messy Middle, starting with diesel and natural gas.

The workshop is on March 25 at 1 p.m. ET. You will automatically be invited if you attended either of the two completed boot camp sessions, or join the next one scheduled for March 11. It will focus on the prices and availability of existing infrastructure and examine what’s ahead for the future. We are excited about these workshops, which will bring a new and exciting twist to the boot camp.

We are excited to be able to continue the dialogue about the role of diesel and natural gas in moving freight in a cleaner yet still efficient manner.