Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/328689
Model 587, PACCAR MX spearhead fuel economy pursuit at DFS Targeting 10 MPG D Continued on page 8 6 FIRST CLASS aniel Berard knows there will be doubters. "People might think I'm crazy — I don't care," says the President of Danfreight Systems, a 92-truck, long-haul refrigerat- ed goods carrier stationed in Joliette, Quebec. "But I believe this — we will get 10 miles per U.S. gal- lon with the configuration of our Peterbilt Model 587s and PACCAR MX engines. "And it will happen soon." Maintenance focus To better understand Berard's near-obsession in solving the Rubik's Cube that maximizing fuel econ- omy can be, one must look at DFS' line of work. In the mid 1990s, Berard identified a market for California-Quebec deliv- eries of refrigerated goods and focused on it with a fleet of Peterbilt Model 387s. The company's customer base of chain grocery stores soon became impressed with the efficiency and reliability of DFS operations and its team driving crews. Berard knew that the efficiency of his own internal operations could improve the efficiency of his customer service, and that it could become a point of differentia- tion in the market. So he began to rethink conventional means of operating a fleet. "We're a long-haul fleet, and fuel is our No. 1 expense. In short haul, fuel is No. 2 or 3. And our No. 1 competitor is not the guy across the street. It's the train. We have to