Delivery companies are starting to use trucks that run on compressed natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas in the face of stricter regulations on diesel-powered vehicles.
Yamato Transport Co., the largest "takuhaibin" home delivery service, has been introducing about 200 alternative-fuel trucks a year since fiscal 1998.
In fiscal 2000, that number rose to 553 chiefly LPG-powered new vehicles, bringing Yamato's total to 1,061 as of the end of December. Yamato's fleet accounts for about 4 percent of all alternative-fuel vehicles across the nation.