Northeast Grocer Converting 55 Vehicle Fleet to Natural Gas

Tops Friendly Markets, a full-service grocery retailer in upstate New York, northern Pennsylvania and western Vermont, recently announced a partnership with Ryder to replace its existing 55 diesel tractors with ones that are powered by CNG. In addition, Tops selected American Natural Gas (ANG) as their provider for CNG fuel after an extensive RFP process. Pending town approval, as a part of the agreement, ANG will develop a CNG fueling facility on-site at the Tops distribution center located in Lancaster, New York. The facility will provide CNG fuel to Tops’ new fleet of tractors, all of which are expected to be delivered in mid-2015. “We have the confidence that we can get the service and performance we need from our new natural gas fleet, while operating more cost-efficiently and environmentally friendly,” said Ron Ferri, Senior Vice President of Distribution and Logistics at Tops Friendly Markets. Tops has also contracted with Wendel, a full service architecture and engineering firm which specializes in CNG, to serve as strategic advisor to Tops throughout the procurement, design and construction process of the fueling facility. With the conversion to natural gas, Tops Markets expects to conserve more than 1.2 million gallons of diesel per year.