Poland Spring trucks using biodiesel fuel

Water bottler Poland Spring announced recently that the company’s tanker trucks are now fueled with diesel partly derived from renewable resources.

The western Maine bottler estimates that using biodiesel in the company’s 52 tanker trucks and 12 contracted trucks will reduce annual emissions of carbon dioxide by 1.8 million pounds and save 70,000 gallons of fuel, according to a press release.

The company chose to start with what is known as “B5” biodiesel, meaning the fuel is composed of 5 percent biodiesel and 95 percent traditional petroleum diesel. The company also considered using B20 fuel, which has 20 percent biodiesel.

“The higher the percentage, the greater the chances of complications,” Ken Rogers, northeast regional manager for Poland Spring, said in a statement. “For our drivers, this is an entirely new concept and B5 seemed like the right mixture to start out. We are absolutely confident B5 will not cause issues with safety, reliability or performance.”

Poland Spring executives said they hope the company’s decision to use biodiesel in its tanker fleet will help make biofuels more widely available in Maine. Filling stations that have contracts with Poland Spring for its fleet are also expected to sell the biodiesel to the public.