Vocational Energy opens CNG station for Smith Dairy Products

Vocational Energy has opened its first public-access compressed natural gas [CNG] fueling station, constructed for Smith Dairy Products Company, located about 20 miles west of Canton OH.

The station, capable of producing 420 DGE [diesel gallon equivalent] per hour, was designed and constructed by Vocational Energy, headquartered in Fontana CA. The station will be open to the public and will play a crucial role in helping Smith Dairy reach its long-term goal of becoming diesel-independent, said the dairy's spokesperson Rebekah Shipper.

“The owners really looked ‘big picture’ with regard to the station, and wanted to build a station that was not only good for Smith Dairy, but one that was also beneficial to the industry and the environment,” she said.

Shipper said Smith Dairy conducted economic impact studies to look at route efficiencies, vehicle fuel usage, and other metrics. The firm decided that migrating to domestic natural gas made perfect sense.

Scott Edelbach, president of Vocational Energy, said Smith Dairy is taking a bold step by making the move to CNG-powered vehicles and investing in a public-access fueling station. “We commend Smith Dairy for understanding the importance of domestic natural gas, and investing in infrastructure that will benefit others in the community who are looking to move away from foreign oil,” he said.

Shipper said Smith Dairy has seven Freightliner CNG-powered tractors on the road currently with plans to purchase only CNG-powered vehicles in the future. According to Shipper, driver feedback has been outstanding, with drivers enthusiastic about the Allison automatic transmissions and the natural gas engines running so much quieter.

For more information, contact Jeffry Swertfeger at 813-957-1846.