Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo, reached a major milestone this month when its compressed natural gas (CNG) truck fleet logged more than 100 million miles driven on routes across the United States.
Frito-Lay first began leveraging CNG technology in 2011 when 16 CNG freight trucks were placed into service. Today, the Frito-Lay CNG fleet has grown to more than 500 vehicles, representing more than 35 percent of the company’s long-haul inventory. CNG freight trucks use an abundant domestic natural gas fuel and emit 23 percent less greenhouse gas (GHG) tailpipe emissions than the diesel freight trucks they replace.
“Increasing the efficiency of our vehicle fleet is a key component of achieving PepsiCo’s overall goal to reduce GHG emissions,” said Michael O’Connell, senior director of supply chain, PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division. “Alternative fuel solutions like Frito-Lay’s use of CNG freight trucks are an important piece of our overall strategy, helping us reduce our environmental footprint, meet changing consumer needs and thrive in today’s economy.”
Critical to the expansion of Frito-Lay’s CNG fleet has been the development of a national infrastructure for alternative fuel. There are currently 16 CNG public fueling stations around the country at which Frito-Lay is a major customer. These fueling stations not only provide fuel for Frito-Lay CNG freight trucks, they also make fuel available for other companies currently using or considering alternative fuel vehicles.
Frito-Lay currently maintains the seventh largest commercial fleet in the United States with approximately 22,000 vehicles, including everything from cargo vans up to Class 8 tractor-trailers. The Frito-Lay vehicle fleet is currently comprised of several different fuel-efficient models, including electric vehicle route trucks, CNG freight trucks and advanced diesel technology from some of the leading manufacturers around the world. As a result of this comprehensive approach to fleet efficiency, Frito-Lay has reduced its diesel fuel use by more than 30 percent from 2008 to 2015, while also growing net revenue by 16 percent for the same period.