Uniform and linen supplier AmeriPride Services Inc. has taken delivery of its first hydraulic hybrid truck in North America, a 2014 Ford F59 chassis with a Morgan Olson Route Star walk-in van body.

The vehicle will be added into service in one of the company's Canadian branches in Toronto. Lightning Hybrids is providing the hybrid powertrain that will help the vehicle significantly reduce fuel consumption, according to the company.

This truck, the first hydraulic hybrid in AmeriPride’s fleet of approximately 1,900 vehicles in North America, will achieve better fuel economy than the comparable non-hybrid vehicle because it captures, stores and re-uses the braking energy which is normally wasted in the conventional, non-hybrid vehicle, according to Lightning Hybrids.

AmeriPride has already replaced many of its cargo vans with fuel efficient sedans and rerouted a majority of its service routes to reduce mileage. It has also incorporated better internal controls to reduce idling and speeding and implemented better training and communication with drivers to increase awareness and promote behavioral change. AmeriPride also acquired several double-decker semi-truck trailers that have twice the cargo capacity and will greatly reduce fuel and emissions.