natural gas heavy-duty trucks transportation cross-case analysis exploratory research
Abstract:
Natural gas is the cleanest burning alternative transportation fuel on the market. It is domestically available, cheap, and safe. The market for natural gas vehicles continues to grow in the United States, but not at its potential. The heavy-duty fleet sector has seen tremendous improvements in natural gas vehicle and equipment reliability, but there are existing factors that discourage fleets from transitioning to natural gas fuel. Even in an environment where diesel prices are low, natural gas fuel can continue to benefit heavy-duty truck fleets. This research proposes critical success factors of natural gas fuel transition projects for heavy-duty trucks. Five key propositions were identified through a cross-case analysis of exploratory data gathered through interviews with six corporations. Corporations who utilize natural gas trucks were compared with corporations who have not made the transition. The purpose of this study is to influence the direction of natural gas vehicle research and spark the interest of corporations, who utilize heavy-duty trucks, to investigate whether natural gas fuel could successfully meet their transportation needs.
