Moving company turns to vegetable oil
Patrick Kuhn, who first had the idea to undergo the effort two years ago, says one truck is totally converted, with another one slated for the change in June.
CHARLOTTE -- One area moving company is converting their trucks to alternative fuels.
“I’ve been with the moving industry for 22 years, and this is the first time I had heard about someone making this kind of effort,” said George Moore, operations manager of CMTR moving services. The effort he is talking about is switching trucks from using diesel fuel to using waste vegetable oil.
Patrick Kuhn had the idea for his company to undergo the effort two years ago. He says one truck is totally converted, with another one slated for the change in June.
"The bottom line is I wanted the best possible people working for me, and to get the best people I had to cut an expense,” said Kuhn. “And the biggest expense is fuel."
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After doing some research, Kuhn spent almost $6,000 to convert his first truck. "We're using waste vegetable oil, which is the stuff that you would find in your deep fryers and in your kitchens all across the U.S.,” explained Moore.
Added Kuhn, “Vegetable oil is cheap and it’s clean for the environment. It’s 90 percent cleaner than diesel.” Moore says a 50-gallon tank would have previously filled up at $250 with diesel. With the waste vegetable oil, it takes about $80.
"About half of our customers come to us because of what our efforts are and trying to be friendlier to the environment,” said Moore, though there is one downside. “It smells like French fries, so it makes you kind of hungry.”
By using vegetable oil, the company is recycling the waste that would otherwise go to a dump. For more information, click HERE.