LITTLE ROCK, Ark (KTHV) -- Freightliner Trucks made a stop in North Little Rock Tuesday with their Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles as they show the nation the impact of using lower cost natural gas in the big truck business.
"We're driving all the way across America in this Freightliner Cascadia and more importantly we're driving it all the way across America on pure natural gas," says one driver.
A big rig driving cross country is something we see everyday.
But this monster is something you may not see everyday... It's running on natural gas.
Greg Treinen is a manager for the tour; showcasing two clean, green trucks.
Treinan says, "One of the main benefits of compressed natural gas is the price of the fuel is much cheaper than diesel but you're also helping the environment by burning cleaner."
Treinen says a lot of the top fleets in the nation are based in central Arkansas, so their stop at the Truck Centers of Arkansas makes perfect sense.
As it sits on I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis, it's the second most traveled commercial route in the country. Scott Manchester is the VP of Sales of Truck Centers of Arkansas. He's excited about the future of our freight.
Manchester says, "Today, compressed natural gas is probably not viable for 100 percent of our customers but every day there is more and more infrastructure being created and manufactured so within a short period of time we do feel it's going to be a viable power source or energy source."
Safe for the driver, safe for the environment and as Treinen says, it's safe for the future of our economy.
He says, "If we had more CNG, LNG natural gas trucks running up and down the highways, what that would mean is more dollars kept here in the U.S. It means a reduction in dependence on foreign oil."
Just two hours in North Little Rock, it's enough to fuel up, and fill up. There was also a lunch and free giveaways and local truck experts toured the rigs.
Before they know it, they're on the road again. Next stop in the L.A. to D.C. on CNG Tour? Nashville, Tennessee!