Content area
Full text
WHEN the word service is part of a company name, it's important to be able to deliver.
Semi Service Inc of Salt Lake City, Utah, has put together an assortment of services that help the company serve customers in a four-state area: Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming-roughly a 450-mile radius around Salt Lake City.
Perhaps the most unusual service for a truck equipment distributor is the company's compressed natural gas fueling station.
"There are about 52 CNG fueling stations in Utah," says Tom Foulger. "Most of them are owned by the local gas company."
The company's new 16-acre site provides the fueling station with a distinct advantage. Located near the Salt Lake City airport, the fueling station is convenient to an array of shuttle vans that run on compressed natural gas.
"In all, we fuel about 70 vehicles per day, including cars, pickups, highway tractors, and refuse trucks," Foulger says. "Running on CNG really makes sense today. At an energy equivalent of $1.53 per gallon, the advantages of CNG are obvious-especially for fleets whose vehicles travel locally and are close to fueling stations like ours. Yes, the initial purchase price for CNG equipment is more. But if a vehicle is driven 100,000 miles per year, the payback is approximately 12 months."
The fueling station is located on one corner of the Semi Service property, enabling even a tractor and trailer to get in and back on the road easily. The equipment pressurizes the gas to 3,600 psi, significantly higher pressure than older equipment generates. As a result, the vehicle can be refueled in three to five minutes, compared with 48 minutes that some older systems require.
The fueling station ties in nicely with another service Semi Service offers-CNG fuel conversions.
"Customers can get everything they need in one location," Foulger says. "It makes sense. We can provide them with the conversion and upfit their chassis, all with just one stop."
Semi Service has been offering CNG conversions for about eight years now, says Mike Anderson, vice-president.
To perform CNG conversions, the equipment supplier, IMPCO Automotive, requires that installers undergo training and are certified. Semi Service has two technicians who have trained at IMPCO headquarters and at the Semi Service facility.
Compressed natural gas presents its...