1-800-GOT-JUNK? And Isuzu Truck Partners To Test Biodiesel Fuel

By Lauren Woods

The largest junk removal company in Vancouver, British Columbia, 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, partnered with Japanese commercial vehicle and heavy truck manufacturer Isuzu to test vehicles on the use of biodiesel. The Isuzu Commercial Truck of America recently announced that 1-800-GOT-JUNK? will be the first fleet in the country to test biodiesel in its fleet.

The biodiesel test program will run for six months, after which, the two companies will study the effect of using biodiesel on 1-800-GOT-JUNK?’s truck fleet. Ten junk removal trucks were selected to use biodiesel for six months on different climate areas across the United States and Canada.

As early as today though, both companies expect that the outcome will be positive and the junk removal company will permanently switch to using biodiesel on their trucks instead of petroleum diesel. According to the junk removal company, they have over 1,000 Isuzu N Series and GMC W Series trucks in their fleet.

1-800-GOT-JUNK?’s founder and Chief Executive Officer, Brian Scudamore, pointed out that their effort to test biodiesel on their trucks is an indication of their dedication to help protect the environment. “This test will launch our new Green Emissions Program,” says Scudamore. “We have always had a strong environmental conscience and have prided ourselves on cutting-edge recycling efforts. The growth of our business means it's time to take environmental initiatives to the next level,” he added.

Biodiesel is an equivalent to petroleum diesel but is made from biological sources such as vegetable oils. One clear advantage of using biodiesel is that it comes from a renewable source of energy. The widespread use of biodiesel can also reduces the energy dependence of the United States and Canada on foreign oil.

Due to the fact that it comes from virgin oil feedstock like rapeseed and soybean, it can be produced domestically. Another advantage of using biodiesel is that it is priced lower than petroleum diesel while providing the same amount of power output which can be enhanced further with the use of the Isuzu cold air intake system for the Isuzu trucks operated by the junk removal company.

The first of the ten biodiesel powered junk removal trucks was unveiled last month at the Pacific Economic Summit. During the unveiling of the vehicle, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger pointed out in his keynote address that the use of biodiesel by the truck “would cut greenhouse gas emission by thirty to forty percent”.

By using exhaust filtration technologies, the truck produces less carbon dioxide than trucks running on petroleum fuel. The use of diesel fuel in the United States has not been popular in decades due to its reputation of producing too much noise and too much black soot. New technologies though has made new diesel engines as smooth operating as gasoline engines. With the use of filtration devices and biodiesel, the production of greenhouse gas is significantly reduced compared to previous generations of diesel engines.

Isuzu is confident that the testing will promote the use of biodiesel not only on fleets but also on passenger diesel vehicles. “Isuzu is excited to participate with 1-800-GOT-JUNK? in this important test,” says Todd Bloom, the vice president for marketing at General Motors Isuzu Commercial Trucks. “We feel that biodiesel fuel has the potential to play an important role in lowering emissions, as well as reducing our dependence on foreign oil.”