Breakthrough Fuel, a national supply chain management and energy advisory firm, has launched a new product it says will allow shippers to accurately measure natural gas fuel costs associated with moving company freight throughout the North American market.


"We heard from our clients that they wanted a solution similar to our diesel Fuel Recovery products that allow them to manage and project costs associated with using natural gas as a transportation fuel," said Craig Dickman, CEO of Breakthrough Fuel.

In the past five years, natural gas has become an increasingly attractive source of fuel for the commercial transportation market. It's not unusual to see commercial vehicles using liquefied natural gas or compressed natural gas as a fuel source. There are a number of reasons behind the trend.

"Natural gas tends to be a lower cost and price-stable alternative to diesel fuel," explained Dickman. "The supply generally comes from within North America and there's more than 200 years' worth of the current supply at hand."

Natural gas as a fuel is also becoming more convenient to use as truckstops across the U.S. are adding or building natural gas refueling stations.

Another advantage is that natural gas has up to 21% less emissions than ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel.

"Anytime you can lessen your carbon footprint, that's a good thing," Dickman stated. "As companies become more focused on sustainability, they are moving toward using both natural gas and diesel as fuel sources for shipping. With our products we can help them measure, manage and project their costs, which helps improve their bottom line."