Penske Truck Leasing and City Harvest Team Up for First-ever "Green" Refrigerated Truck Fleet
READING, Pa., August 21, 2008 - Today, Penske Truck Leasing and City Harvest announced the launch of an environmentally friendly, refrigerated truck fleet. City Harvest, the world's first food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding New York City's hungry men, women and children, is the first Penske customer to commit to operate a fleet of state-of-the-art hybrid trucks.
"Our organization was founded on the notion of using resources wisely," stated Emory Edwards, City Harvest Director of Food Transportation. "We are pleased to partner with Penske in bringing this truck fleet to the streets of New York City and to lead the way in the development of this cutting-edge technology. The trucks will help us to deliver food in a cost-effective manner to New Yorkers in need."
Penske will provide City Harvest with full-service truck leasing support for the hybrids. By the close of 2009, City Harvest plans to have converted its entire fleet of 16 trucks to full hybrid technology. City Harvest is now operating four International Truck and Engine Corporation 18-foot DuraStar Hybrid trucks to deliver food in New York.
"City Harvest is on the leading edge with its commitment to bring a green fleet to New York," said Joe Cataudella, Area Vice President - Penske Truck Leasing, for the New York Metro Area. "By using hybrids they can double their fuel efficiency and reduce emissions by 40 percent. We are seeing increased demand for these vehicles nationwide due to high fuel costs and our customers' environmental improvement initiatives."
City Harvest uses its truck fleet to rescue excess food from all segments of the food industry, delivering it free of charge to more than 600 community food programs throughout the five boroughs. This year, the organization will rescue 23 million pounds of food that would otherwise go to waste, feeding more than 260,000 hungry men, women, and children each week.
"When these trucks travel at low speeds, the electric motor kicks in to supply power to the truck resulting in reduced fuel consumption and emissions," added Cataudella. "We're proud to work with City Harvest because of what they do for the community. This is just one more good thing to make New York a better place."
About City Harvest
Now serving New York City for more than 25 years, City Harvest (www.CityHarvest.org) is the world's first food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding the city's hungry men, women, and children. This year, City Harvest will collect 23 million pounds of excess food from all segments of the food industry, including restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers and farms. This food is then delivered free of charge to more than 600 community food programs throughout New York City using its fleet of trucks and bikes as well as volunteers on foot. Each week, City Harvest helps over 260,000 hungry New Yorkers find their next meal.
About Penske
Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P., headquartered in Reading, Pa., is a joint venture among Penske Corporation, Penske Automotive Group and General Electric. A leading global transportation services provider, Penske operates more than 200,000 vehicles and serves customers from more than 1,000 locations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Product lines include full-service truck leasing, contract maintenance, commercial and consumer truck rentals, transportation and warehousing management, and supply chain management solutions. Visit www.GoPenske.com to learn more about the company and its products and services.