- Wegmans
- Pilot
- Saia
- 4Gen Logistics
- Nevoya
- UPS
- Albert Transport
- Joyride Logistics, LLC
- Frito-Lay
- Schneider
- Kleysen Group, LTD.
- Mesilla Valley Transportation
- Penske
Participant Profile: Frito-Lay
Frito-Lay North America is the $23 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. It has 22,000 vehicles, from cargo vans to Class 8 tractor-trailers. In 2011 PepsiCo started adding CNG vehicles to its fleet, and in 2022 began using B100 vehicles. It’s one of the largest private fleets in North America and operates more than 100 B100-equipped trucks. It operates and runs everything from a pallet jack up to a Class 8 tractor-trailer and does everything from last mile deliveries, middle mile, over the road, regional operations.
Kelly Anderson
Analyst, Frito-Lay
“We’re always the first to adopt something new and try it. And if it doesn’t work, then we’ll go a different route. We’re not scared of trying new things, which I think attributes a lot of our success.”
David Black
Vice President Fleet Sales, Flow Below
“By reducing turbulence, you reduce drag and improve fuel economy. Aerodynamic products help with improving range by making the energy use more efficient, regardless of whether we’re talking about diesel, biodiesel CNG, LNG, battery electric.”
Adam Buttgenbach
Director of Fleet Engineering & Sustainability, PepsiCo
“Outside of the range of EVs and renewable natural gas vehicles, we leverage biodiesel as the third leg of that strategy for our over-the-road fleet to decarbonize those operations.”
James Doty
Service Manager, Nextran Truck Centers
“With the technologies coming into play, they are somewhat challenging. No one likes change, but we like to take that step forward to follow the change because that’s where the industry is leading.”
Brendan Foster
President, Benecor
“I think that the fuels of tomorrow, they’re starting to become more relevant. It really is not something that you should look at and shy away from. There are channels being developed for these products to give you reliability.”
Paula Hanebach
Supply Chain Fleet Manager, Frito-Lay
“When we talk about CNG, it’s perfect for those middle range miles. We’ve really leaned into compressed natural gas and RNG on Frito-Lay and then alternative fuels. It really opens up the path for long-range trials.”
Tim Herring
Driver, Frito-Lay
“I’m just looking forward to driving this truck and showing what it will do for fuel mileage and showcasing what it’s able to do and what we can do with it as a driver — how well it performs.”
Kaleb Little
CEO/Administrator, Kansas Soybean Association
“Historically, about half of U.S. biodiesel production is from soybean oil. And the other half comes from those other sources. We’ve really grown biodiesel and renewable diesel. We were over 5 billion gallons of fuel used in the U.S. last year.”
Randy Long
National Fleet Sales Manager, Truck Wings
“What we found is we do increase the range of those electric vehicles by reducing the drag and improving that aerodynamic capacity of the truck and the trailer combo.”
Scott Offerman
Head of Marketing, Optimus Technologies
“I think the biggest thing about biodiesel to remember is that it is a renewable fuel. It’s something that’s clean. When it burns, it’s getting rid of up to 90% of the carbon emissions that would come out of the tailpipe of a commercial vehicle.”
Leon Plummer
Director of Fleet Decarbonization and Sustainability, PepsiCo
“We all understand there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Where EVs are not suitable we look specifically at alternative fuels, whether it’s biodiesel, renewable diesel and compressed natural gas to fill those overall gaps.”
Kevin Proberts
LD&T Sr. Resource/Fleet, PepsiCo/Frito-Lay
“Aside from the new technology coming in, it makes you feel like, we’re trying to make the world a little better place too. With sustainability you are leaving a better future for the next generation.”
Nicholas Stark
Fleet Infrastructure, Frito-Lay
“Once the driver comes back, we walk around the truck looking for issues and we check the fluids. We get a lot of fixes done in this bay just by that fueler walking around the truck while he’s waiting for fuel.”
Duane Tegels
Product Marketing Manager, Volvo Trucks North America
“Whether it be the driver, the speed, the trucks running or even just the temperature, all these subtle things have an impact on fuel economy and how the vehicle performs. It’s a completely dynamic situation.”
Driver
Tim Herring
“I really like driving because you're not sitting in an office, you see different scenery every day. You're able to go to different places and you're home regularly.”
- Years Driving: 35
- Miles Driven: 2 million miles +
- Homebase: Topeka, KS
Hot Takes
- Tractor Volvo VNL
- Cab Type Day cab
- Engine and fuel type D13 engine using the Optimus Vector System and B99 biodiesel
- Advertised Range 150 Gallons of fuel ~ 1,500 mile range
- Transmission Volvo I-Shift automated manual
- Max Speed Setting 65 MPH
- Axle Ratio 2.17
- Configuration 6×2 with lift axle
- Aero Devices The cab itself is narrower in the front and tapers out to the back; Defenders are more streamlined; The windshield is raked back and around the cab; Liftable axle reducing parasitic loss; I-torque spec, The turbo compounding of the engine, The lift axles; Flow Below, TruckWings
- Safety and Autonomous Systems I-See terrain-aware technology
- Anti-idle Devices Automatic engine shutdown
- Fuel Tank 50 gallon diesel and 100 gallon B99 fuel tanks
- Route Type Everywhere from a local market like Topeka to Kansas City, all the way down to Texas, up to the Dakotas, and then coast to coast as well.
- Elevation Change Light
- Goods Hauled Snack foods
- Hours of Operation 24/7
- Trailers – Singles, Doubles, Triples Singles and Doubles
- Single Shift, Slip seating or Teams Slip seating
- Public or Private On-site fueling plus Fueling stops at Pilot Flying J
- Fuel Provider Chevron
Sponsors
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