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Saving Fuel Costs * USA - Truckers taking time
Diesel costs move big rigs to the right laneCedar Rapids,IO,USA -The Gazette On Line, by Dave DeWitte -August 25. 2007: -- If it seems like more big rigs are driving in the slow lane these days, it may not be your imagination... Rising fuel costs and tough competition have trucking companies employing sophisticated strategies to get their drivers to slow down in order to save fuel... Going slower reduces trucks' fuel consumption primarily by lessening aerodynamic drag, the friction between the air and a solid surface moving through it. Trucking companies can use the governor system on a truck's engine to limit its maximum speed. Many also have added computer software in their rigs that allows them to link the governed driving speed to the fuel economy record of the driver... Dale Lavin, fuel manager for West Side Transport, said the driving habits of the truckers are the ultimate influence on fuel economy, and West Side coaches its drivers on how to achieve the best fuel economy... West Side initially sets the governor on a truck at 65 mph. Drivers whose fuel economy doesn't meet the company's benchmarks lose their eligibility for bonuses. Drivers who consistently fail to meet fuel economy goals can have their governed speed adjusted below 65 mph... West Side drivers who meet the fuel economy standards, on the other hand, qualify for extra bonuses and can have their rigs' governors adjusted to go faster than 65... CRST Carrier Group in Cedar Rapids, spends $198 million per year on diesel fuel. At an average fuel economy of 5.8 miles per gallon, the 72 million gallons will let CRST's 4,500-plus trucks cover about 400 million miles per year... "If I can get my 5.8 miles per gallon up to 5.9 miles per gallon, I can save $300,000 per month," Dave Rusch, president of the CRST Carrier Group, says... So CRST uses special Michelin tires designed for better fuel economy. It also buys aerodynamic farings and skirtings at a cost of about $2,500 each. Both investments more than pay for themselves in fuel savings... Volume purchasing arrangements allow CRST to buy its fuel for 15 percent or more off the pump price, and the company has a fuel specialist who monitors prices at truck stops nationwide... If one truck stop charges significantly more than others, CRST broadcasts a message to its drivers to avoid it... Some truckload carriers report that the difference in fuel expenditures between their most and least efficient drivers can reach $10,000 per year... And speed isn't the only factor; another important factor, Operations Manager Chris Hummer for Don Hummer Trucking of Oxford explained, is how the drivers relax... To varying degrees, truck drivers idle their engines while sleeping or waiting to unload so they can run the rigs' air conditioning systems or power accessories such as portable televisions... (Photo illustration: by Cliff Jette/The Gazette - Trucking companies, and drivers, are paying much more attention to fuel-conserving strategies in the face of soaring diesel fuel prices)
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