Cemstone (www.cemstone.com), an upper midwest provider of high performance concrete, engineering services, aggregates, decorative concrete and masonry products, has been selected to test a compressed natural gas (CNG) powered mixer truck manufactured on a Kenworth chassis and with a McNeilus mixer system. Cemstone placed the vehicle into service in mid-July.
"At Cemstone, we have an obligation to explore new opportunities to make our ready mix fleet more environmentally friendly - and to assist the industry by evaluating new technologies like compressed natural gas powered mixer trucks," said Tim Becken, executive vice president of operations for Cemstone. "We are committed to building a future that is more sustainable, and CNG-powered mixer vehicles are a significant new technology that deserves closer inspection."
The compressed natural gas powered mixer vehicle offers a viable clean technology alternative to make the construction industry more environmentally friendly. When compared to a traditional diesel engine, CNG-powered mixer trucks offer lower fuel costs, reduced noise pollution and are six times cleaner burning. The mixer truck is fitted with a 6-cylinder, 8.9-liter engine with a cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and state-of-the-art electronic engine controls.
"We're excited to give the McNeilus CNG-powered mixer a thorough and honest evaluation for power, noise abatement and reliability - and it will run out of our downtown Minneapolis batch plant," said John Dickey, vice president of metro operations for Cemstone. "We'll slot it into our fleet and it'll be seen across the metro area throughout the month of June." CM