Postal Fleet Services has signed a Ryder ChoiceLease Full Service agreement for 20 compressed natural gas heavy-duty trucks to support its mail-delivery operations in four states.

The trucks will be working out of locations in Orlando, Fla., Lafayette, La., Jackson, Miss., and La Vergne, Tenn. Postal Fleet Services has used Ryder for fleet leasing and maintenance for over a decade. The 20 new vehicles will be added to the existing fleet of Ryder diesel-powered vehicles already supporting the carrier's operations.

As part of the agreement, the vehicles will be serviced by Ryder’s maintenance network of natural gas-trained technicians within Ryder maintenance facilities designed for the compliance requirements of servicing alternate-fueled vehicles.

“Ryder continues to see demand for natural gas vehicles from businesses that are looking through a longer term lens, and want to realize the environmental and fuel efficiency benefits,” said Dennis Cooke, Ryder president of global fleet management solutions. “When companies outsource to Ryder, they get the benefits of our extensive experience operating and maintaining natural gas fleets, so they can reduce risk, maximize performance, speed return on investment, and focus on driving what matters to them – managing their core business and servicing their customers.”

Ryder has 22 NGV maintenance facilities and more than 5,500 NGV-trained maintenance and support personnel.  With the Postal Fleet Services agreement, the company has expanded its NGV offering into 16 states and two Canadian provinces.