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JB Hunt to Test RNG-Powered Peterbilt 579-X15N Kit

Posted on by darion

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Many trucking operators have expressed interest in participating in a test of a single Peterbilt tractor powered by a Cummins engine fueled by renewable natural gas.

The program is implemented by alternative fuel supplier Clean Energy Fuels, which will supply RNG from its fuel stations.

JB Hunt Transport Services is first in line to test a 2025 Peterbilt 579 tractor equipped with a Cummins X15N engine. Ruan, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings and Kenan Advantage Group will follow suit.

JB Hunt is ranked No. 3 on the Transport Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America and No. 2 on the TT Top 100 truckload/dedicated haulers sector. Knight-Swift is ranked No. 7 on the TT Top 100 for-hire carriers and No. 1 among truckload carriers. Kenan is ranked No. 21 on the TT Top 100 for-hire carriers and is the highest rated tanker/bulk carrier. Ruan is ranked No. 23 on the TT Top 100 for-hire carriers and No. 12 on the truckload list.

Each carrier will test the day-cab tractor in turn. Further fleet testing is expected in late 2024 and 2025, Clean Energy said.

Full production of the Cummins X15N gas engine began in September. Peterbilt began producing trucks with the engine in the third quarter. In addition to the Model 579, Peterbilt offers the truck as an option on the Model 567 and 520 refuse collection trucks.

JB Hunt, based in Lowell, Ark., operates more than 180 RNG-powered vehicles. The company has more than 15 years of RNG experience.

“We continue to explore and test opportunities that have the potential to provide value to customers looking to reduce carbon emissions in their supply chain,” said Greer Woodruff, vice president of safety, sustainability and maintenance at JB Hunt. “We are excited to be the first carrier in the Clean Energy Pilot Program and to experience the Cummins X15N tractor first-hand. Renewable natural gas-powered vehicles produce significantly less carbon dioxide over their life cycle and are more compatible with existing infrastructure than most competitive emissions reduction technologies.”

“The new technology and the fueling network supporting it in this pilot have the potential to become a real, cost-effective solution for customers looking to reduce their carbon footprint in the near future,” he added.

JB Hunt has set a goal of reducing its carbon emissions by 32% by 2034 compared to 2019. In 2023, the company passed the halfway point to achieve its goal.

The carrier is testing multiple fuel options and also expanding its intermodal operations. For example, it is testing the potential of hydrogen-powered trucks and battery-electric options, including tractors made by Nikola Motors. The carrier doesn’t want to put all its eggs in one basket.

“It takes as much electricity to power one electric truck as it does to power 600 homes. To put that in perspective, the fast-charging infrastructure needed to support J.D. Hunt’s fleet — if we were to go all-electric — would power 1.4 million homes. That’s 1% of the U.S.,” CEO Shelley Simpson said at the Advanced Clean Transportation 2024 conference in May.

The company is pushing to expand charging infrastructure and joined the Powering America’s Commercial Transportation lobbying coalition, launched in January by Paccar Inc., Daimler Truck North America, Navistar Inc. and Volvo Group North America.

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