Georgia-based building products distributor GMS Inc. announced Jan. 31 the addition of several material-handling trucks equipped with battery-powered hydraulic planes to its distribution fleet. GMS plans to add approximately 20 additional units in the next two years as they become available, according to a news release.

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This fleet initiative, being implemented in partnership with I-State Truck Centers and Odyne Systems, supports GMS’s sustainability efforts and its commitment to minimizing the environmental impacts of its business operations, the release said.

“We remain committed to conducting our business in a manner that aligns with our values and promotes environmental sustainability, while also delivering value to our shareholders,” GMS president and CEO John Turner Jr. said in the release. “We are excited about the addition of these innovative and environmentally beneficial vehicles to our fleet. These newly-developed material handling trucks are designed to lower greenhouse gas and NOx emissions, and we expect them to deliver improved driving fuel efficiency, quieter stationary operation, reduced fuel consumption and lower operating and maintenance costs.”

GMS’s primary source of greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption is related to the operation and use of delivery trucks and other vehicles in its business, according to the release. Efforts to improve the efficiency of GMS’s vehicle fleet include a company-wide adoption of fleet optimization and logistics software and technology.

GMS ranked No. 8 on MDM’s 2022 Top Building Materials/Construction Distributors list.