Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/14583
SMART DRIVING More Miles, Fewer Gallons Brian Kufahl and his son have installed factory-built and homemade aerodynamic devices on Kufahl Transport tractors and trailers. Attention to your driving habits, maintenance diligence and your truck’s aerodynamics will help you maximize fuel economy each week, don’t read any further. But if you want to squeeze the most out of every gallon you buy, here are money-saving tips from some of the best in the business. I DRIVING The person behind the wheel is the biggest factor in reducing wasted fuel. How you drive will help deter- mine your fuel savings. As a plus, many of the best practices for in- creasing fuel economy do double duty in prolonging equipment life. Driving too fast is the biggest cause of reduced fuel mileage. Every mph increase above 50 mph reduces fuel mileage by 0.1 mpg. Increasing speed from 60 to 70 mph cuts fuel 28 TRUCKERS NEWS AUGUST 2010 f you don’t mind burning hun- dreds of dollars in fuel needlessly economy by 1 mpg. Owner-operator Leonard “Lennie” Bower has limited his highway speed to 63-64 mph for years, keeping fuel costs low and extending compo- nent life. He practices slow starts and stops. He gets 6.4 mpg. Last year, when he pulled the wheels off his back axle to inspect the brakes, he still had 50 percent of his brakes left after 600,000 miles. Independent Brian Kufahl runs four Freightliner trucks and three 48-foot trailers in his Marathon, Wis., fleet. His loaded trucks con- sistently hit close to 9 mpg, with a best of 9.1. Most of the time, Kufahl and his drivers set cruise control at 60 mph. Beyond that, drivers are al- lowed one hour a day at 65 mph for passing slow traffic, Kufahl says. He also has his engines’ rpm set to en- hance fuel efficiency, not speed. “Some people will say they can’t make good time,” he says of slower SHIFTING AND CRUISE CONTROL Use restraint when accelerating from stop, advises Kenworth. In its white paper on fuel economy, the truck manufacturer says short-shifting at 1,100 to 1,200 rpm in all the low-range gears limits fuel consumption. The step to high range requires more rpm. Use 1,500 rpm as the maximum shift point. “Lug the engine to 1,150 rpm before downshifting. The upper end of the power curve — 1,500 to 1,800 or 2,100 rpm — has the most severe fuel burn rate,” the company says. Kenworth recommends using cruise control frequently. Set the cruise as soon as you are up to speed. Choose a lane that avoids merging traffic and other slow- downs that may force you to turn off your cruise control and lose momentum. You burn more fuel every time you need to regain speed. Constant speeds save fuel, the company notes. MAX KVIDERA COURTESY BRIAN KUFAHL