Ryder Signs Pennsylvania Macaroni to Flex-to-Green Lease for Natural Gas Trucks

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a leader in commercial transportation and supply chain management solutions, today announced it has signed a new Flex-to-Green Lease agreement for 10 diesel-powered refrigerated straight trucks with Pennsylvania Macaroni Company, Inc. With a Flex-to-Green lease, Pennsylvania Macaroni receives all the maintenance and service benefits of a Ryder Full Service Lease with the added option to convert their vehicles to natural gas after one year. Pennsylvania Macaroni is a family-owned and operated Italian speciality food retailer that distributes produce and grocery products in the city of Pittsburgh, Pa. and has been in business since 1902. With an existing fleet of eight Ryder lease and six company-owned vehicles, Pennsylvania Macaroni will begin to take delivery of the new leased vehicles in the fall, to replace four of their company owned and six current Ryder leased vehicles.

“Working everyday with fresh Italian cheese, meats, and produce means delivery and service needs to be on time and reliable,” said Chief Financial Officer and Co-Owner of Pennsylvania Macaroni, Rob Sunseri. “We also feel a responsibility to the community to make our fleet as efficient and sustainable as possible. With the Flex-to-Green lease, we now have that flexibility to convert our fleet to natural gas, so our customers will be able to receive their grocery deliveries on more efficient vehicles that produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions.”

Pennsylvania Macaroni has been leasing trucks from Ryder during the past 12 years to supplement its existing private fleet of more than 14 vehicles. When the company decided to replace vehicles in its fleet, it chose to lease the vehicles from Ryder. Ryder services Pennsylvania Macaroni’s fleet from its maintenance facility in Pittsburgh.

“We are excited to see interest in our natural gas vehicle offering in the state of Pennsylvania and will continue to deliver on our promise of innovation and sustainability,’’ said Ryder President of Fleet Management Solutions, Dennis Cooke. “With more than 80 years of experience in the transportation industry, Ryder takes pride helping a 111-year old, family-owned business make progress toward reducing their carbon output and meet their environmental objectives.”

Pennsylvania Macaroni was founded in 1902 by Augustino, Salvatore and Michael Sunseri as a family-owned and locally operated company. The company distributes Italian pastas, deli meats, bread, cheese, spices, sauces, olive oils, and cooking tools in the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, and New York. The company also has a retail storefront located in the historic Strip District of Pittsburgh, Pa. and has their products accessible for ordering online.

Ryder has deployed more than 300 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) vehicles with approximately 40 Ryder customers in California, New York, Michigan, Arizona, and Louisiana. The company recently opened its first Liquefied to Compressed Natural Gas fuel stations in Orange and Fontana, Ca. For more information about how Ryder innovates for the environment, read Ryder’s Corporate Sustainability Report.

About Ryder

Ryder is a FORTUNE 500® commercial transportation, logistics and supply chain management 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, and Newsweek has included Ryder for three years in a row in its ranking of the top 500 green U.S. companies. 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 and has been recognized by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index. A member of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving 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.

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