A penny saved is a penny earned. And while that may not sound like big savings, it starts to add up when you’re saving a penny per mile across thousands of miles! Semi-truck fuel efficiency is a major concern for independent operators or companies looking to reduce costs. Fortunately, learning how to improve your truck’s fuel economy isn’t as challenging as it may sound.
Read on to learn some tips to improve your semi-truck fuel efficiency, to save money and stay on the road longer between stops.
Small Maintenance Adds Up to Big Savings
Peak performance includes getting the most out of your fuel. If you don’t take your vehicle maintenance seriously, you’ll never achieve the best potential for semi-truck fuel efficiency. Skipping core maintenance makes your rig work harder, burning more fuel. Stay on top of:
Tire Pressure
Tires will lose pressure over time. In addition to causing extra wear and increasing driving risks, running on slightly deflated tires will heavily impact your fuel mileage. Check them every time you can. Don’t forget that it’s a matter of safety, too!
It only takes about a 10 percent decrease in tire pressure to cause irregular wear, fuel economy loss and increased chances of damage. While it may seem tedious to constantly check your vehicle’s tires, it’s absolutely worth the effort!
Oil & Fluids
Driving any vehicle requires you to monitor its fluids. If you don’t keep up with regular oil changes, the oil in your vehicle ceases to function appropriately. Thermal breakdown decreases your oil’s ability to lubricate the internals of the engine, increasing wear.
However, when it comes to semi-truck fuel efficiency, old oil leads to higher levels of heat and sludge build-up. As the engine suffers additional wear from sludge build-up, the excessive heat will also cause it to run less efficiently. All of these problems combine to a big headache for you – and needing to pump more gas to get to your destination.
Filter Changes
Vehicles are full of filters that help maintain clean and efficient operation. While cabin filters don’t do much for how well your semi-truck uses fuel, the other filters do. Oil filters, fuel filters, and engine air filters are all core components of your truck. They make reduce wear, maintain fluid quality and generally help your truck avoid issues associated with poor combustion or poor exhaust.
Unexpected Issues
It’s never fun to hear a strange sound when you’re on the road. It costs time and money to stop and have your vehicle looked at – but it’s almost always worth it.
At best, those little issues are annoyances that will bother you for days or weeks to come, potentially turning into bigger issues on their own. At worst, however, your vehicle could be at risk for catastrophic failure. That’s never worth the gamble!
In any case, a problem with your rig almost certainly means it won’t be operating at peak performance. That means your rig will need more fuel to run.
Drive Smart, Cut Costs
Maintenance isn’t the only way you can increase your semi-truck fuel efficiency! Your driving plays a big role too. Don’t be tempted to floor it just because you want to get done with the job earlier. When you decrease your speeds, you increase fuel economy.
While it’s true that fuel usage only increases very slightly as you increase your speed, it adds up. One mile per hour faster of travel increases your fuel use by just a fraction of a mile per gallon. But how many miles do you drive per week? A five mile per hour increase in average speed, across thousands of miles, can cause your semi-truck to need a hundred extra gallons or more!
That’s hundreds of dollars in additional diesel costs. If you want to save on fuel, taking it slower can make a big difference in the long-haul.
Load Cargo Properly
Every driver knows that cargo adds weight, and weight increases fuel use. But it’s not that black-and-white! The way you load and secure cargo will change how it impacts your fuel economy too.
For flatbeds, wind resistance is a major issue. Even if your cargo is secure, the higher it’s stacked, the more resistance you’ll experience trying to travel. This means your truck has to work harder to keep up speed, costing you extra fuel.
But other semi-trucks have similar issues. If you load your cargo without taking care to evenly distribute the weight, your vehicle will run into issues trying to accelerate or stop. The stopping issues are primarily safety, but acceleration troubles due to uneven cargo will affect your fuel efficiency.
Contact Semi Service Today
We service, repair, install, and upfit all types of trucks, vans, and trailers. Don’t know where to start? We can answer your questions and help you find what you need. Contact us online or give us a call at (801) 895-4419 to get started today!
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