The No. 5 story from Truck Parts & Service looked at the steps needed in preparing your business to service natural gas trucks, including updating your facilities.
Because of the different physical properties of natural gas, you cannot service a natural gas engine in the same facility as a diesel engine without implementing safety upgrades. While these upgrades can be costly up front — ranging from $40,000 to $70,000 — they can quickly provide payback once you start servicing natural gas trucks.
RELATED: No. 6 of Top 10 of 2013: OHSA not ‘Oh, snap!’
The first step is investigating your current setup and deciding what is your best course of action, says Rick Mendoza, facility design manager at Clean Energy.
RELATED: No. 4 of Top 10 of 2013: Rush aftermarket sales explodes
There are four ways a service provider can modify its business to provide natural gas service, says Nadine Haupt, director – alternative fuels at Navistar: Retrofit an existing location, add a secluded natural gas workspace to an existing diesel facility, build a separate facility at a current location or start a natural gas capable service facility at a new location.
To read the original article in its entirety, click here.
