Tops Friendly Markets is converting its entire vehicle fleet to compressed natural gas. The company, which services grocery stores in upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania and western Vermont, will leased the vehicles under a full-service lease from Ryder System.
The trucks are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3,138 tons annually and expected to save Tops more than 50% of its fuel costs annually through a reduction of 1.2 million gals. of diesel fuel consumption.
Tops is headquartered in Williamsville, NY, and operates 162 full-service supermarkets.
“Ryder is leveraging its leadership in natural gas to make it as easy as possible for customers to implement sustainable transportation solutions that also enable them to realize meaningful cost-savings and efficiencies,” said Ryder President of Global Fleet Management Solutions, Dennis Cooke. “When companies like Tops Friendly Markets choose Ryder to manage their fleets, they can focus on driving what matters to them – managing their core business and servicing their customers.”
Tops will take delivery of the natural gas vehicles in mid-2015 to replace its entire fleet of 55 diesel-powered vehicles. Ryder will also provide maintenance for the CNG vehicles from Ryder’s Buffalo, NY, service facility, which is being upgraded for compliance with natural gas standards.
“At Tops Friendly Markets, our priorities are to have a reliable fleet of well-maintained vehicles to ensure our stores receive deliveries on time,” said Ron Ferri, senior vice president of distribution and logistics at Tops Friendly Markets. “With Ryder’s natural gas vehicles, we have the confidence that we can get the service and performance we need from our new natural gas fleet, while operating more cost-efficiently and environmentally friendly.”
