Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/87831
Use truck-routing tools. Choosing the shortest, most practical truck route can save hundreds of dollars a year in fuel. Spoken, turn-by-turn directions will take you directly to street-level addresses. With a navigation aid, savings of 10 miles or more a week is possible by eliminating out-of-route miles. 1 time, but they also require much decelera- tion and acceleration, which requires more fuel. Check Traffic.com or other sites each day to see potential construction and traf- fic on your route. Some smartphone apps and GPS units also provide real-time traffic information. 2 Plan fuel stops carefully. Some in-cab navigation systems and smartphone apps include real-time information in their point-of-interest features that allow drivers to search for the nearest fuel loca- tions and cheapest prices on their route. 3 What's the most effective fuel-saving device you've applied to the truck in the past decade? Josh Nileski: A 200-plus horsepower chip from Pittsburgh Power. As long as you keep the heat off her, you never have to go above 1,600 rpm climbing a hill. Rich Rukstalis: Flow-through exhaust, fleet air filters, reprogrammed ECM and adjusting turbo wastegate. All these add up — not just one thing. William McKelvie: 1) PDI exhaust mani- fold. 2) Fuel code reset. 3) Flow-through mufflers. 4) PDI tune (coming soon). Avoid traffic tie-ups. Rush hour, high- way construction and traffic jams not only suck hours from your on-duty Online software systems help maximize fuel savings by finding the cheap- est locations to buy fuel. Systems such as this one from ProMiles compare fuel prices minus IFTA fuel taxes. This is the only fair way to compare fuel prices because owner operators get credit for IFTA taxes paid at the pump and since tax rates vary widely by state. These optimal fuel plans can save 4 to 11 cents a gallon. The systems factor in tank capacity, cur- rent fuel levels, truck stop preferences and other variables. 5 Consolidate fuel purchases. Fuel card pro- viders have negoti- ated discounts with truck stops, but just as important, driv- ers and fleets can use the data they collect to compare and to consolidate fuel purchases to negotiate more savings. sources for infor- mation on state fuel taxes. Only after subtracting taxes from the pump price do you know the true price of the fuel. 6 Don't rely on pump price. Check online 7 Anti-idling 9 10 Use shore- power when it's available. Get the best possible fuel surcharge. Surcharge terms differ in vari- ous ways, such as payment for empty miles. Make sure you know how yours is calculated. If it's not fair, consider leasing elsewhere. Enrolling in programs such as PrePass and electronic toll col- lection systems enables you to avoid burning extra fuel by stopping and then accelerating back to speed. 8 Bypass weigh stations and toll booths. Optimize fuel purchases. 4 Idling can cost $3,000 or more per year in fuel. This doesn't include the added engine maintenance expense that results from excessive idling, which is harder on your truck's engine than highway driving. Turn off the engine. Avoid excessive warm-up times when starting the truck. Even for a short stop, you'll save money by not idling. Look for other times when you have a habit of idling but can't justify it. Many inverters and APUs come with a plug-in option that converts incoming current to DC to charge the batteries, using AC to power climate-control units and/or in-cab accessories. The truck stop electrifica- tion movement to help eliminate idling has gained steam in the past year, with plug-in options available at many more parking spaces. November 2012 | Overdrive | 25