Friday, October 24, 2014

Ryder Signs Its Largest Natural Gas Lease Deal in North America with C.A.T.

Truckload Carrier will Replace 100 Heavy Duty Vehicles with Compressed Natural Gas

October 24, 2014, Miami - Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a leader in commercial fleet management and supply chain solutions, announced today that C.A.T. Inc. (formally Canadian American Transportation, Inc.) has signed a full-service lease agreement for 100 compressed natural gas (CNG) sleeper tractors.

This is Ryder’s first natural gas lease customer in Canada and its largest single natural gas vehicle customer to date. C.A.T., a truckload carrier based in Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec, Canada, will use the trucks in its delivery fleet that travels from Montreal, Canada to Laredo, Texas.

C.A.T. has served the shipping public between Canada and the United States since 1978 and provides transportation services to major corporations within the automotive, food, beverage, consumer packaged goods (CPG), and electronic industries. Ryder will also provide maintenance for the 100 CNG vehicles from Ryder’s Montreal, Canada service facility, which is being upgraded for compliance with natural gas standards.

“Ryder’s investment in natural gas vehicles and maintenance infrastructure began with a pilot project in Southern California, and has grown to be one of the largest commercial natural gas vehicle programs in North America,” said Ryder President of Global Fleet Management Solutions, Dennis Cooke. “As we continue to expand our natural gas vehicle footprint, we are able to help more businesses convert their fleets to this cost-effective and environmentally-friendly advanced fuel solution.”

C.A.T. has been leasing trucks from Ryder for the past eight years. Ryder will replace almost one-third of C.A.T.’s fleet of 325 vehicles with 100 CNG sleeper tractors. The natural gas fleet is expected to have a carbon emissions reduction of 2,564 metric tons.

“C.A.T.’s natural gas fleet program will enable us to be extremely successful in supporting our customers’ sustainability efforts. We are excited to work with Ryder to transfer our diesel fleet to a CNG fleet in Canada,” said C.A.T. President, Daniel Goyette. “With Ryder’s natural gas vehicle and maintenance expertise, we have the confidence that we can get the service and performance we need from our fleet today, while operating more cost-efficiently and environmentally-friendly.”

Ryder is an industry leader in natural gas vehicle solutions for the commercial transportation market with more than 27 million miles of natural gas operating experience. Businesses can tap into Ryder's extensive knowledge of natural gas vehicle operations, expanding maintenance network, and its highly trained and experienced technicians, to ensure the safe operation, maintenance, and fueling of natural gas vehicles. Ryder’s leasing and rental business model enables businesses to “test” the new technology with less risk of downtime, as well as insulate themselves from the unknown residual risk. The Company has deployed Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) vehicles into the fleets for Ryder customers in California, New York, Michigan, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Georgia and Louisiana. The Company operates two Liquefied to Compressed Natural Gas (LCNG) fuel stations at its maintenance facilities in Orange and Fontana, Calif. Ryder also operates an LNG fuel station at its Fulton, Ga. maintenance facility.

About Ryder:

Ryder is a FORTUNE 500® commercial fleet management and supply chain solutions company. Ryder’s stock (NYSE:R) is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Inbound Logistics magazine has included Ryder in its “Green Partners” listing for five years in a row. Ryder is a charter member of the NGV Fleet Forum and a member of the Department of Energy’s National Clean Fleets partnership. Ryder is also a recipient of the 2011 NGV Achievement Award. A member of the American Red Cross Disaster Responder Program, Ryder is proud to support national and local disaster preparedness and response efforts. For more information, visit www.ryder.com and follow us on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

About C.A.T:

Founded in 1978, C.A.T. INC. aimed to provide quality transport services between Canada and the USA. Thanks to the dedication and competence of its staff, the company expanded its network by increasing its activities beyond the US-Mexico border. Over the years, numerous large companies have helped C.A.T. INC. maintain a constant evolution. Today C.A.T. INC. has several terminals in Canada and the United States to accommodate its customers: Coteau-du-Lac, QC; Vaudreuil, QC; Napanee, ON; Mississauga, ON; Toronto, ON; Kitchener, ON; Memphis, TN; Laredo, TX; Charlotte, NC. For over 15 years C.A.T. INC. has been diligently involved in research and development to improve its performance in terms of energy and level of road safety (changing to automatic transmission, installation of skirts to their trailers, etc.). Proudly certified 'Smartway' since 2007, one and the same with excellence in energy efficiency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, C.A.T. continues to pose actions to ensure its place as a leader in terms of improving the quality of the environment with its equipments, as well as with its infrastructures. To learn more about C.A.T. INC., visit us on www.cat.ca and follow us on Facebook.

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements and information included in this news release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on our current plans and expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Accordingly, these forward-looking statements should be evaluated with consideration given to the many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including those risks set forth in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks on our business. Accordingly, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.