Autocar Industries introduced a natural gas version of its Class 7 cabover Xpert refuse truck at a alternative-fuel symposium in late November.

The "baby 8" Xpert ACMD is now available with the Cummins Westport CNG/LNG engine. Autocar first introduced the Xpert in 2013 in a diesel-only version. Autocar introduced the truck at the 2013 Autocar Natural Gas Symposium in Indianapolis, which opened Nov. 14.

The medium-duty truck has gained traction among municipal utility providers and private refuse haulers. The smaller, more-nimble truck can withstand the severe conditions of waste collection, according to Autocar.

The Xpert includes many of the same components as Autocar's Class 8 Xpeditor ACX. It offers a greater turning radius than conventional cabs of between 8% to 18%, and adds an extra 25 feet of forward visibility.

"The medium-duty Xpert refuse truck elegantly fills a void in the current Class 7 refuse market," said Jim Johnston, Autocar's president. "Before the Xpert, waste haulers have been forced to make do with cookie-cutter conventional cab trucks which fall short in the ever-demanding refuse hauling application."