{"id":12238,"date":"2021-08-28T17:02:06","date_gmt":"2021-08-28T15:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=12238"},"modified":"2021-08-28T17:02:06","modified_gmt":"2021-08-28T15:02:06","slug":"fleets-save-fuel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2021\/08\/28\/fleets-save-fuel\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Ways Innovative Fleets Save Fuel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Graphic: HDT<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

HDT Truck Fleet Innovators past and present share their fuel-saving strategies.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Fuel costs are by far the largest vehicle-based cost for motor carriers per mile, according to the American Transportation Research Institute. Between 2011 and 2019, the most recent year for ATRI\u2019s annual Cost of Trucking report<\/a>, fuel costs ranged from about 34 cents per mile to nearly 65 cents per mile, with 2019 coming in at about 40 cents per mile.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The average fuel economy for truck tractors among ATRI survey respondents was 6.5 mpg. How much could fleets save if they could improve that number?<\/span><\/p>\n

In its first Run on Less event in 2017, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency proved that it was possible<\/a> to get 10 mpg in real-world, long-haul operations using commercially available equipment and technologies. If the 1.7 million trucks on North American\u00a0highways today achieved the same level of efficiency as the trucks in the three-week fuel-efficiency run, they would save 9.7\u00a0billion gallons of diesel fuel, $24.3 billion, and 98 million tons of CO2 each year, according to NACFE.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Two years later, Run on Less Regional<\/a> participants achieved a cumulative 8.3 mpg. If all regional-haul fleets were to operate at this fuel efficiency, the industry would save more than $9 billion in fuel and 30.6 million tons of CO2 over the course of a year, according to NACFE.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maximizing your trucking fleet\u2019s fuel economy, however, can be a complex and nuanced task. We turned to a group of past and current HDT Truck Fleet Innovators to learn how these leading fleets approach it.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Take advantage of new-truck advances<\/span><\/h2>\n

Every time a truck maker introduces a new model, it\u2019s more fuel-efficient than its predecessor, so keeping the average age of the fleet young is a common strategy. At Hirschbach Motor Lines, based in Dubuque, Iowa, leveraging new equipment is \u201cfirst and foremost\u201d in its fuel-economy strategies. Hirschbach keeps its fleet age to 36-48 months, according to Nick Forte, director of equipment assets and facilities. (CEO Brad Pinchuk is a 2021 Innovator<\/a>.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Keeping equipment young has multiple benefits, says Don Digby Jr., president of Denver-based Navajo Express and a 2019 Innovator<\/a>. With an average age of only 2.5 years, he says, \u201cthis not only provides our drivers with safe, reliable equipment, but it allows us to trade out our tractors when their average mpg starts to see a negative impact due to their age and wear and tear.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Navajo<\/span>
Navajo Express keeps its truck age young, governs trucks at 65 mph on cruise control and 62 on the pedal, and uses the Expert Fuel fuel optimization program. It offers heavy-haul shipping solutions to some shipping partners, reducing the number of trucks it takes to move the same number of loads, reducing emissions and cutting overall fuel use.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo:\u00a0Navajo Express<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And increasingly, the electronics of newer trucks allow fleets to fine-tune truck performance to take the most advantage of improvements in aerodynamics, rolling efficiency, and engine\/transmission optimization, points out Shaun Sadler, senior vice president of equipment at U.S. Xpress and a 2021 Innovator<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe last couple of years, we have worked to optimize intelligent powertrain programing,\u201d he\u00a0 says. \u201cThese advancements in technology have really given us the ability to take advantage of up-\/down-hill programing to optimize fuel burn and cost functions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chattanooga, Tennessee-based truckload giant is also field-testing new axle technology that disengages one of the two drive axles at highway speeds. This results in lower torque and power requirements, allowing the engine to burn less fuel.<\/span><\/p>\n

A. Duie Pyle is a Northeast mostly less-than-truckload carrier with very different operations from U.S. Xpress, but Dan Carrano, vice president of fleet maintenance and a 2021 Innovator<\/a>, says he, too, has been taking advantage of new powertrain options, which operate the engine at a slower rpm for greater efficiency.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Do your homework<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are a great many fuel-economy specs, options, and products out there, with more coming on the market all the time. How do you identify which may work for your fleet?<\/span><\/p>\n

Gerry Mead, executive vice president of maintenance and equipment for Hub Group and a 2016 Innovator<\/a>, says he relies on literature such as Confidence Reports from the North American Council for Freight Efficiency and through organizations such as the Technology & Maintenance Council of the American Trucking Associations, and follows it up with real-world testing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Larger fleets may collaborate directly with OEMs and suppliers to not only stay on top of the latest innovations but also participate in field testing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Fuel-saving<\/span>

\nFuel-saving specs need to be tailored to the type of trailer, such as Maverick Transportation\u2019s flatbed operations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo: Maverick Transportation<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At Maverick Transportation, for example, \u201cwe continue to focus our attention toward maximizing the technologies that our suppliers of choice have brought to our attention,\u201d says Mike Jeffress, vice president of maintenance at the Arkansas-based flatbed fleet and a 2012 Innovator<\/a>. As an example, he cites working with Daimler on a package that builds on the Freightliner Cascadia\u2019s aerodynamic advantages with the Detroit DD 13L engine coupled with the DT12 automated transmission, driven by Meritor 2.28 14X HE axles sitting on the Michelin X line energy tire package with wide-base singles on the drive axle. He\u2019s currently testing solar panels from Purkey\u2019s Electric.<\/span><\/p>\n

Smaller fleets should push their dealers to keep them up to speed on the latest innovations, says Vince Tarantini, president of 100-truck Carmen Transportation in Toronto, Ontario, and a 2019 Innovator<\/a>. \u201cEnsure that beyond providing a \u2018price,\u2019 they offer newly acquired knowledge regarding fuel efficiency in spec\u2019ing the truck\/trailer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Evaluate potential payback<\/span><\/h2>\n

When evaluating potential fuel-economy specs, products, or programs, Tarantini says, his company looks at return on investment and capital requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n

Calculating ROI, Tarantini says, involves determining the useful life of the equipment you\u2019re evaluating to determine how long the payback can be. \u201cBe conservative and underestimate the potential savings,\u201d he says. \u201cDocument your assumption \u2013 do the math on a worksheet to future reference. If it pays for itself at 50% of its useful life, it\u2019s\u00a0worth\u00a0looking at.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

To have accurate numbers to plug into that ROI equation, however, involves testing in your specific application.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf a supplier comes to us with some sort of new device, we start with seeking track test validation first,\u201d says Maverick\u2019s Jeffress. \u201cBased on those results, we will then seek input from the engine supplier on experiences they have had testing such a technology.\u201d Then there are determinations as to sample size and what type of measurement process are best for testing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Amarjit<\/span>
Amarjit Saini, recruiter and driver trainer\u00a0at Carmen Transportation, says some of his top fuel-saving tips for drivers are no engine idling, monitoring tire pressure, and being a patient driver rather than aggressive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo: Carmen Transportation<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI try to get as real world as possible,\u201d says Mead, who has done third-party independent testing using his company\u2019s trucks using the industry-standard, TMC Recommended Practice on fuel testing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hirschbach Motor Lines also turns to third-party testing<\/a>, says Forte. It uses MVT Solutions, a spin-off company of fuel-economy pioneer Mesilla Valley Transportation, which now offers fuel-efficiency testing and consulting. \u201cDaryl [Bear, lead engineer and COO] has a good understanding of our fleet mapping and has a reputation of science-based validation of components.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the biggest challenges, Jeffress says, is getting the timing right on making the adoption decision. \u201cMoving too soon on making a final decision can create losses, and moving too late can create losses as well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n