Stay Fuel Wise To Survive
Your financial fate rests primarily in the hands of your drivers. Are you sure they care?
Deborah Whistler
Editor
For every 10-cent rise in the cost of fuel, 1,000 truckers go bankrupt. In the past couple of years we've watched fuel prices go through the roof and tens of thousands of truckers go down.
On top of fuel price volatility came new low-emissions engines. Although it varies according to operations and power, those engines come with a fuel performance penalty that can range anywhere from a 1% loss to more than 10%. So fleets have to be even more on the lookout for economy gains.
That's why this issue of HDT is dedicated to helping truckers stay fuel wise.
Fuel efficiency is always a priority in the spec process where engine horsepower, trip times and driver satisfaction are constantly traded against fuel economy. But there are many other aspects, such as transmission selection and axle ratios to keep these new engines in their sweet spot. Specifiers have to look at rolling resistance of tires, air resistance of different configurations for the tractor and take a second look at trailer aerodynamics, an area that has long been under-regarded by fleets.
Drivers, of course, have a major influence. But a recent study performed for our sister publication, Newport's RoadStar, shows fuel economy is not a top priority for many company drivers. Asked to rank topics according to interest, fuel economy was "very interesting" for 66% of owner-operators, but only "very interesting" to 42% of company drivers.
Drivers have to be directed to where fuel is the best price, so dispatch has to optimize routing for the most efficient pickup and delivery. This is even more important with the new hours of service — empty, non-revenue and wasted miles have to be flagged for action.
The Technology and Maintenance Council has spent a considerable amount of time identifying and quantifying the factors affecting fuel economy. The top 10 turn out to be:
1: Driver skills
2: Speed — especially with poor aerodynamics
3: Cooling fan "on" time
4: Electronic versus mechanical engines
5: Using rib tires in every wheel position
6: Cutting idling time
7: Using single semi-trailers instead of doubles
8: Using a roof fairing rather than a flat roof
9: Using a roof fairing rather than a raised-roof sleeper
10: Slowing down 5 mph.
Some of these deal with spec considerations, but much of it is directly in the hands of your drivers.
So much so that it is in the fleet's interest to educate, train and reward — as well as give the driver the tools to accomplish the task.
If the driver's skill level can be taken out of the equation — with components such as automated transmissions that take shift decisions away or electronic controls such as Cummins load-based speed control — the fleet will see improved fuel mileage. A mediocre driver can perform nearly as well as the best.
Keeping good records is key to motivating drivers, whether it's with a stick or a carrot. The data will differentiate those drivers that need help from those that deserve reward.
In a recent document circulated by International Truck and Engine, Jordan Feiger, vp and general manager of the Heavy Vehicle Center, writes, "Drivers play the deciding role when it comes to a large number of factors that address fuel economy, such as shifting techniques, gear selection, road speed, engine speed, route selection and the amount of idle time. Fleet analysis shows that fuel economy can be impacted by as much as 35% due to driver technique. Reducing road speed to 60 mph from 65 can save about 8% in fuel." The rule of thumb established by TMC in 2000 is 1 mph equals 0.1 mpg. In other words, a 5-mph reduction in average road speed would correlate to a 0.5 mpg improvement in fuel economy.
Unfortunately, cutting speed and reducing idling goes against the grain for most drivers. And in the wake of the change to hours of service and the elevation of truck speed limits, especially in the West, it is going to be a hard row to hoe to keep drivers off the pedal.
The most effective means is speed limiting, but in a driver shortage, that can negatively impact a fleet's ability to recruit and retain drivers.
There is a major task ahead for management to find ways improve economy while maintaining driver morale. It could be the key to your survival.
E-mail Deb at dwhistler@truckinginfo.com
