It is no secret that, behind the salaries trucking companies\npay to their truck drivers, and other costs, such as benefits, fuel is the\nlargest cost associated with running the business. In fact, if we take a look\nat all the costs fleets have to deal with, they break down in the following\nways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, as you can see, fuel makes up one of the primary factors when calculating fleet overhead. Consider that a big rig running approximately 90,000 miles per year at an average of 6.5 mpg will use around 14,000 gallons of diesel fuel every year. That represents a lot of fuel and is one of the primary factors driving the development of electric and autonomous trucks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Want more data? Just look at the\nnumbers<\/a>. The latest Short-Term Energy Outlook by the U.S. Department of\nEnergy (DOE) projects that the retail cost of on-highway diesel, including tax,\nwill average $2.52 per gallon in 2020. And although there is no shortage of\noil, don\u2019t expect to see prices take a huge tumble in the near future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, when you evaluate total costs with the average price\nabove, this means that a commercial tractor trailer can easily consume more\nthan $35,000 worth of diesel fuel per year. This represents the approximate 24%\nof total vehicle annual operating cost. With numbers this large, fleets must\nensure they know where the holes are in their fuel efficiency programs. Is your\ntrucking company doing enough to keep costs low?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Three Main Factors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One way to look at this is by doing a cost-per-mile\ncalculation. Cost-Per-Mile (CPM) for LTL carriers continues to rise, and has\nbeen rising over the years, according to the American Transportation Research\nInstitute. From 2017 to 2018, fuel CPM increased by 17.7% for carriers, from\n36.8 cents per mile to 43.3 cents per mile. These are big numbers and if\nincreases like this remain consistent, they could represent big problems for\ncarriers large and small. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We live in an environment where fuel will always be a\nvolatile and an accounting item that will always give fleet managers headaches.\nBut it does not have to be that way. Understanding the three main vehicle\nfactors that affect fuel economy can help fleets and owner-operators better\nmanage their largest annual operating expense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what are those three main factors? Keeping an eye on the\ncritical items related to fuel costs will help motor carriers keep them low.\nYou want to focus on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond these three factors, there are other things that\ninfluence fuel economy. One of the biggest remains the habits of your truck\ndrivers. Are they driving like maniacs or are they driving like safety is their\nnumber one concern? This impacts fuel economy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Other factors can impact fuel economy, of course. Factors\nsuch as weight, gradient, climate, and weather generally fall outside of the\nrealm of fleet control. However, truck driver influence can be significant, and\nfleets can utilize driver training to improve in this area. Other vehicle\ntechnologies, such as predictive cruise control, may also help reduce these impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reducing Aerodynamic Drag<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a reason why above 55 mph, aerodynamics dominates\nthe fuel efficiency discussion. This is when aerodynamic drag becomes a real \u2013\npun intended \u2013 drag on your bottom line. And the problem is that too few fleets\nput enough of a focus on aerodynamics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aerodynamic drag, which constitutes the air moving out of\nthe way so a truck can move forward, uses upwards of 50% of each gallon of\ndiesel fuel, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.\nSmoothly directing flow around the front and sides while reducing turbulence at\nthe back are the two basic ways to improve truck aerodynamics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are three areas on a tractor-trailer where aerodynamic drag is the greatest: the front of the tractor, the chassis, and the low-pressure pocket behind the doors. Fleets have put a lot of effort over the years into optimizing the aerodynamics of heavy trucks by installing add-on devices such as side skirts, tails, and roof fairings. These accessories often come from varying manufacturers, with some requiring driver activation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [wp_ad_camp_2] <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are too many options out there for CARB-compliant,\naerodynamic trailer solutions and side skirts. These easy-to-use,\nfuel-efficient solutions typically consists of a resilient trailer skirt, trailer-end\nfairings, a wake reducer, and aerodynamic mud flaps. Fleets need to responsibly\nensure they are taking advantage of the options available to keep their bottom\nline in the green. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you seen the Nikola or Tesla semis? There is a reason\nthey look as sleek as they do. OEMs and fleets are moving towards a paradigm\nwhere tractors are no longer boxy and ugly looking. Get ready for the trucks of\nthe future to look as aerodynamic as they are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A Closer Look at Aerodynamic Options<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Aerodynamic solutions have come a long way. Now you can\ninvest in an integrated solution, with each piece engineered to complement the\nothers so that they work together seamlessly to deliver proven fuel savings. New\nfeatures on the market include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While some fleet managers think accessories like these might\nnot make much of a difference, you would be surprised at the savings you will\nfind from installing them, especially if you have a large fleet with a lot of\nvehicles running. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reducing Tire Rolling Resistance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rolling resistance dominates energy consumption at speeds\nbetween 35 mph and 55 mph. The average operating speed of trucks is typically\nbelow 55 mph in major urban areas, due to traffic impact and congestion,\naccording to the U.S. Department of Energy. So, you can see where rolling\nresistance can have a big impact on fuel usage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rolling resistance is the amount of energy lost (in the form\nof heat) due to the compression of the rubber in the tire as it rotates and\ninteracts with the road while carrying the vehicle and its load. It is a simple\nmatter of physics, kinetic energy, and materials science. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tires are made of viscoelastic rubber compounds, which means\nthat once materials have been distorted, they only regain their original shape\nafter a certain period. The energy it takes to distort tires is never fully\nrestored. Some of it dissipates in the form of heat, and this heat loss is the\nrolling resistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only way to mitigate this is to invest in low rolling\nresistance tires. OEMs have come a long way to making these tires more\naffordable and more widely available. So, if they are there to save you money,\nwhy not use them? Learn more about how low rolling resistance tires can benefit\nyou by\nclicking or tapping here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reducing Mechanical Losses<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mechanical losses from engine capacity, vehicle\nconfiguration and accessories eat up about 15% of each gallon of fuel,\naccording to the North American Council for Freight Efficiency. The phrase\n\u201cmechanical losses\u201d is a catchall for things like gear and bearing losses, air\nconditioners, etc. This really covers a range of mechanical components on a\ntractor trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are only a few \u201cmechanical\u201d items that fleets can\noptimize to reduce these losses, such as spec\u2019ing a more efficient, downsized\nengine or going to a 6×2 instead of a 6×4 configuration on the tractor. One\nthing a fleet can do to improve fuel consumption is to reduce speed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A truck traveling at 75 mph consumes 27% more fuel than one going 65 mph, according to the American Trucking Association, so limiting truck speed to 65 mph would save 2.8 billion gallons of diesel fuel over a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [wp_ad_camp_2] <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n To optimize your fuel efficiency, it is critical to\nunderstand the three most important factors within your fleet: tire rolling\nresistance, aerodynamic drag, and mechanical losses. With this understanding,\nyou can ask the best questions and make the right decisions to optimize your\nbusiness. Have you taken the time to get the answer to those questions? If not,\nyou are losing money. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"