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New York food delivery fleet converts to biodiesel FreshDirect, an online gourmet food purveyor in New York City, announced that it has signed a contract with Tri-State Biodiesel to begin conversion to biodiesel fueling. Beginning in early January of 2008, FreshDirect’s fleet of 150 delivery trucks will start the switch to B5, a blend of 5 percent biodiesel and 95 percent regular diesel. By February 2008 the company plans to use B5 in its entire fleet. The biodiesel blend will be supplied by Tri-State Biodiesel. Starting in the fall, FreshDirect began donating cooking oil from its kitchen to be used in Tri-State’s non-toxic diesel fuel. With this change, FreshDirect furthers its partnership with Tri-State to reduce emissions and cut back on use of fossil fuel products. In fact, biodiesel reduces CO2 emissions over 78 percent compared to petroleum diesel. According to studies, biodiesel will reduce smog and air pollutions, helping to make New York City a cleaner city. Additionally, FreshDirect will also begin testing and using idling reduction technologies to allow truck engines to be turned off automatically after three minutes during loading and delivery. While FreshDirect strictly prohibits drivers from idling, this new functionality enforces compliance. By the end of the year, 10 percent of FreshDirect’s trucks will be running this technology. |
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