Vogel Disposal Service of Mars, one of the largest independent haulers in Western Pennsylvania, has its first compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station, part of a move to more sustainable operations.
Ten new CNG trucks currently fill up at the $1.4 million fueling station, built by California-based TruStar Energy. The station, which went online in May, has capacity to fuel 70 trucks and Vogel plans to replace diesel with CNG models at a rate of about 10 per year, says Vice President Doug Vogel. The company has a fleet of about 300 vehicles. Vogel also says its long-range plan is to build another CNG station at a location about 40 miles from its Mars operation.
At its Seneca landfill, Vogel already captures and cleans methane gas and puts it back in the utility pipeline. “We're generating about 8,000 diesel gallon equivalent per day and our plan is to eventually fuel our trucks with our own natural gas,” says Vogel.
Vogel says the decision to move to CNG was partially motivated by engine issues pertaining to new diesel emissions standards, which were cutting productivity. “CNG makes sense for Vogel, both in terms of dollars and in terms of our responsibility to the environment. Eventually fueling our trucks with gas generated from our landfill will be a win-win for Vogel,” says Vogel.
Vogel is a family company, founded in 1958 with a single truck. The company employs about 500 and has added about 20 jobs, some seasonal, in the past few months.
Source: Doug Vogel, Vogel Disposal Service and TruStar Energy
Writer: Elise Vider