PacLease customer deploys Kenworth T880s with Cummins X15N engine
Cummins started production on the X15, the first big-bore natural gas engine in the industry, last September. Pre-production versions were field tested by 16 leading fleets, and now the X15N is ready for everyday work.
At the end of February, waste hauling company Bousum Trucking began using Kenworth T880 day cabs spec’d with Cummins’ X15N CNG engine around central Pennsylvania. These are the first units with the natural gas engine leased through PacLease, which will handle maintenance and service.
Natural gas engines’ maintenance is more equivalent to gas versus diesel, as they don’t require aftertreatment systems. Instead of diesel fuel injectors, they also have sparkplugs and ignition coils, as natural gas is a spark-ignited fuel. They do, however, still use an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system.
These eight T880s are being used to carry waste from the Centre County transfer station to a landfill 80 miles away. It’s likely some of that waste will indirectly end up fueling future trips, as the Laural Highlands landfill converts decaying trash into RNG, which is then sent to a solar-powered RNG refueling station near the site.
Bosuom also received $40,000 per vehicle from the Pennsylvania Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant.
The county also uses 22 RNG-fueled recycling trucks.
“And we’re now pleased to see Bousum Trucking continue that momentum by adding CNG trucks to take approximately 110,000 tons of waste annually from our transfer station to the Waste Management landfill,” said Ted Onufrak, executive director of the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority.
The 15L engine offers something very critical to fleets compared to Cummins’ 12L predecessor, the ISX12N: more power.
“The trucks are rated at 450 horsepower with 1,650 lb.-ft. of torque and utilize 12-speed automated transmissions—that’s the right spec for our operation,” explained Liam Tanelli, CFO for Bousum Trucking. “Each truck makes three round trips per day; drive time is 1-1/2 hours each way, and the trucks can face steep grade changes ranging from 8-12%. So, we needed the horsepower and torque of the industry’s first 15-liter CNG engine.”
Cummins offers power ratings up to 500 hp and 1,850 lb.-ft of torque on the X15N.
“But obviously, the big difference is there are virtually no emissions from our CNG engines, and that’s a great benefit for everyone,” Tanelli said. “We will watch the performance and life-cycle costs closely as we use these trucks as our test bed as we look toward the future.”
The engine maker said these trucks spec’d with the X15N emit CO2 and NOx at levels 90% below current EPA standards. Versus the 12L, the OEM said the X15N provides 10% better fuel efficiency as well.
According to driver feedback after test runs, the trucks spec’d with the X15N are comparable to their diesel cousins.
Preliminary test runs, based on driver reports (and feedback) praise the performance of these CNG-powered trucks and how comparable they drive versus their diesel equivalent.
About the Author
John Hitch
Editor-in-chief, Fleet Maintenance
John Hitch is the award-winning editor-in-chief of Fleet Maintenance, where his mission is to provide maintenance leaders and technicians with the the latest information on tools, strategies, and best practices to keep their fleets' commercial vehicles moving.
He is based out of Cleveland, Ohio, and has worked in the B2B journalism space for more than a decade. Hitch was previously senior editor for FleetOwner and before that was technology editor for IndustryWeek and and managing editor of New Equipment Digest.
Hitch graduated from Kent State University and was editor of the student magazine The Burr in 2009.
The former sonar technician served honorably aboard the fast-attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN-723), where he participated in counter-drug ops, an under-ice expedition, and other missions he's not allowed to talk about for several more decades.