Cost-saving, emissions-reducing fuel has on-road fleets sold, and engine builders look to provide off-road applications. Family-owned concrete supplier Ozinga Bros, faced a major decision last year. It hadn't bought new trucks in six years, and it was time to make some purchases. Tim Ozinga, the company's director of communications, says they looked at all the options, including biodiesel fuel and compressed natural gas (CNG), eventually settling on CNG. "We saw it as a way to lower our dependence on foreign oil and as a positive for the environment," Ozinga says. "The lower fuel cost was just the icing on the cake." Natural gas engines are gaining traction in the on-highway side of construction as fuel costs and emissions regulations force equipment managers to look at alternatives to diesel powerplants. As the engines gain acceptance, engine builders are turning their focus to the off-highway market, too.
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