Briefly: Shell Starship 3.0 to begin nationwide tour next week in Las Vegas -

Building on the successful fall 2023 U.S. West Coast demonstration run, Shell Starship 3.0 will take to the road again to show what is possible for efficiency and carbon reduction in commercial road transport. The truck, equipped with a Cummins X15N natural gas engine and powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), is on the road this week on a route throughout North Carolina.

During the run, performance data will be collected to show the CO2 reduction and freight ton efficiency (FTE) capabilities of Shell Starship 3.0. These results will be third-party monitored and verified by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), as has been done with all previous Starship demonstration runs.

“The Shell Starship initiative continues to provide guidance on ways that advanced, currently available technologies can offer road transport efficiencies to fleets and drivers,” said Tom Mueller, General Manager of Shell Commercial Road Transport Lubricants. “Gathering added performance data with the natural gas engine-powered Starship will build on the previous run and provide us more information to share with fleets about how they can reduce their energy usage and carbon emissions without losing focus on the cost of their operations.”

Shell Starship 3.0 will begin a nationwide tour starting at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Las Vegas, Nev. from May 20 to 23. The truck will participate in the vehicle demonstration ride portion of the show, which focuses on advanced clean vehicles and technology. Shell Starship 3.0 will then travel to Shell Rotella SuperRigs at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas from May 30 to June 1. The following week, the Class 8 truck will travel to Texas for stops at Shell’s Woodcreek Headquarters and the Shell Technology Center in Houston.

Shell Starship 3.0 will then visit key Shell partners and customers throughout the US. The tour will end in early fall with stops at our Shell CNG stations in California.

Brothers Brian and Eric Rector will again be tandem drivers for Shell Starship 3.0. They have been driving Shell Starship since 2020. Both have many years of experience driving Class 8 trucks. Updates from their experiences on the road will be posted on various Shell and Shell Rotella social media channels.

Shell Starship 3.0 contains components and features that promote lightweighting, low aerodynamic drag, and low rolling resistance Bridgestone tires. Shell Starship 3.0 operates using low-viscosity Shell Rotella natural gas engine oil and Shell Spirax transmission and axle oils. Low-viscosity lubricants require less energy to move throughout the engine while still providing the protection, efficiency, and performance needed in harsh operating environments.

The Cummins X15N natural gas engine powered by CNG or RNG where available, emits less CO2 than a diesel engine, confirming the potential for different engine and fuel options to reduce CO2 emissions to fleets. Renewable Natural gas is a transportation fuel that can be derived from organic waste[1] and is interchangeable with CNG and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) in transport vehicles.

Shell Starship 3.0 demonstrated available efficient technologies and the spirit of innovation required to meet carbon reduction goals and help power progress. Industry collaboration is vital to help fleets meet their efficiency goals.

Roadrunner recognized for outstanding service

Roadrunner recently announced it earned the 2023 Platinum LTL Carrier Award from Echo Global Logistics. The award, which is given to only a few carriers each year, recognizes outstanding service, commitment, and performance.

“Roadrunner is an LTL carrier of choice, thanks to the hard work they’ve put in these last few years,” said Marty Martin, Vice President of LTL at Echo Global Logistics. “In 2023, Roadrunner was able to maintain impressive on-time performance as well as significant growth in a very challenging marketplace. We review other categories of qualitative service metrics for this award including Quality, Communication, Invoice Accuracy, Claims, Customer Service, Responsiveness, Website Effectiveness, and I.T. Cooperation. Roadrunner made huge improvements in every category.”

“We are thrilled to receive this award from Echo Global Logistics,” said Chris Jamroz, Executive Chairman of the Board and CEO of Roadrunner. “As one of only four carriers awarded this honor, it speaks volumes to the strategic service improvements and enhancements we’ve made to our network.”

This recognition follows several strategic enhancements announced by Roadrunner, including the creation of Guaranteed Service in select lanes, which offers shippers on-time delivery by the promised date or a full refund of charges, the opening of a new Atlanta service center, and 1-day service between its Southern California and Chicago locations.