Isuzu Commercial Truck of America Inc. (ICTA) announced May 16 a new process that will enable Isuzu dealers to more quickly convert or modify gasoline-powered NPR-HD (14,500-lb.GVWR) trucks for their customers.

When placing orders for new trucks, Isuzu dealers can select a ship-thru option to indicate that they have arranged to have the trucks modified at one of two independent modification centers near the trucks’ Charlotte, Mich., assembly plant.

Following the modification, the center will return the trucks to ICTA, which will then transport them to the dealers that ordered the units. This new process will eliminate unnecessary dealer-incurred transportation expenses and will shorten the amount of time necessary to obtain alternative-fuel conversions and other types of modifications, according to ICTA.

Utilimaster Inc. offers CNG/LPG alternative fuel conversions and other modifications for Isuzu trucks to dealers and customers at a modification facility located on the Spartan Motors Inc. campus in Charlotte, Mich. IMPCO Technologies Inc. offers CNG alternative-fuel conversions at the IMPCO modification facility in Union City, Ind.

“This ship-thru option simplifies the movement of a completed truck from the Charlotte port to a near-plant modification center and finally back into the Isuzu logistics flow,” said Shaun Skinner, executive VP and general manager of ICTA. “This can provide substantial cost savings for our dealers that require truck modifications not offered by Isuzu.”

ICTA made the announcement at the Alternative Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach, Calif.