Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85435
Beyond anti-idling Checking traffic conditions online on sites such as traf- fic.com can help you plan your trip most efficiently. Save thousands of dollars a year on fuel by careful use of your right foot — and your head. Don't ignore driving habits and other strategies to supplement the benefits of minimal idling. BY JAMES JAILLET T hanks to higher fuel prices in recent years, notably the 2008 spike that drove diesel above $5 a gallon in California, owner- operators are more attuned than ever to the high costs of wasteful idling, and use of auxiliary power units is higher than ever. Still, an owner-operator can cut fuel costs even further through strategic approaches to driving, and unlike an APU, they don't cost anything. An owner-operator averaging 6 mpg will use 20,000 gallons of fuel if he runs 120,000 miles in a year. The number drops to just more than 17,000 gallons at a 7 mpg average and with $4 per gallon diesel, is almost $12,000 in savings. "For the average owner-operator, that's two months of work," says Mike Bethea, director of independent 40 OVERDRIVE MAY 2012 contractors at Schneider National. "And it's income that basically goes straight into your pocket." If your pocket could use some filling up, consider these fuel-saving tips. Drive slower "Owner-operators need to overcome the myth that if you run faster, you're more productive and make more money," says Don Lacy, director of safety for Prime Inc. "With today's fuel prices, that's just not true." He says some of Prime's owner-operators don't run faster than 52 mph, and their net earnings are much better than those running faster. "We have a saying – go slow, make dough," he says. "It's not unsafe and you won't get ridiculed. If you plan it right, you can run slow and