Leonard’s Express has adopted a new source of alternative energy for its national fleet of over 650 long-haul diesel trucks and has already begun installations.

The source of this new technology is SPI.Systems’ SPI Exhaust Reaction System, or SPIER for short. The system alters the chemistry of combustion through reuse of the exhaust gases that are being wasted. Its sustainability comes from reducing that waste while cutting emissions and boosting fuel economy, SPI officials said in a press release.

“The chemical engineering has created an energy release in the engine that has a potential 300 times that of normal combustion, and it’s all free, and has always been there for us to employ,” said SPI CEO Jack Schickler.

Ken Johnson, Leonard’s CEO and a 2021 HDT Truck Fleet Innovator, saw the potential of this invention two years ago and nurtured its development by SPI, loaning his trucks for testing at Regional International Truck and Trailer in Henrietta, New York.

“We have been very impressed with the results in our initial pilot evaluation,” Johnson said. “Between the fuel savings and the maintenance reduction from the significant reduction in emissions, we fully expect to see the product pay for itself in under 18 months, and possibly under a year.”

The New York State Center of Excellence in Advanced and Sustainable Manufacturing at RIT found that with the SPIER System installed, Class 8 trucks logged an 18 percent fuel economy gain in highway testing, versus the baseline system.

The center is now working with SPI to develop a lab-based “virtual truck” test system for optimizing the SPIER application to specific truck configurations.