Hexagon Agility Showcases Longhaul Natural Gas Truck

Hexagon Agility displayed a CNG tractor boasting a 1,200-mile range at the American Trucking Associations’ 2026 Management Conference and Exhibition (MCE) in Charlotte, N.C., held October 17-20. The Freightliner Cascadia sleeper tractor is powered by the Cummins X15N natural gas engine and features Hexagon Agility’s back-of-cab and side-mount compressed natural gas fuel systems. The setup packs a combined capacity equivalent to 265 gallons of diesel, delivering a driving range of over 1,200 miles. Ryan Macaulay, director of service parts and installation operations at Hexagon Agility FleetCare, noted this range answers the exact needs of longhaul operations. The 15-liter natural gas engine kicks out 500 horsepower and 1,850 pound-feet of torque, matching diesel-like performance.

With average retail on-highway diesel prices climbing past $6 across the U.S. this year and pushing past $8 in California, fleets are increasingly eyeing CNG options. Hexagon Agility started testing the X15N with U.S. fleets in 2023, drawing early participants like Walmart and Werner Enterprises. Cummins has offered the X15N in North America for two years. While natural gas trucks demand a higher initial price tag than diesel rigs, Eric Bippus, Hexagon Agility’s chief commercial officer, pointed out that fuel savings and lower maintenance costs help offset the investment. For fleets logging high annual mileage with favorable fuel price differentials, the payback period can drop below two years as the price gap widens.

Beyond lower operational costs, CNG pricing offers greater stability compared to volatile diesel swings. Natural gas vehicles also drop greenhouse gas emissions and assist shippers in chasing sustainability goals, particularly when running on renewable natural gas sourced from landfills and dairy farms. Although the exhibition vehicle is a Freightliner, Hexagon Agility configures its natural gas fueling systems for other major truck brands including Kenworth, Peterbilt, Mack, and Volvo.

Fleets are also turning to advanced aerodynamics to squeeze out extra fuel savings. Outside the convention center, Transtex put on a display featuring a Western Express sleeper tractor equipped with Edge CabFlex hinge-free cab extender fairings. Designed to slash drag and lift fuel efficiency while outlasting rigid extender alternatives, the fairings target lower operating costs. Nashville-based Western Express holds the No. 54 spot on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of largest for-hire carriers in North America.