MPG stands for Miles Per Gallon. Ergo, how many miles you can travel on each gallon.
It is the be all and end all of trucking. It defines whether you make profit as a contractor or owner operator, or whether the company you work makes a profit.
What is good fuel mileage?
For a Semi Truck in 2012-2013 good fuel mileage tends to average around 6 - 7 miles per gallon (sometimes higher) this increases every year as newer truck models come on the market and the technology improves. If a Semi Truck is getting below 6 miles a gallon then their may be a mechanical problem with the truck or it might be what we in the industry call a Dudd. Sometimes, a truck will just start falling apart for no reason. There is nothing you can do except get rid of it before it gets rid of you.
How do I get good fuel mileage?
1) Drive at 58 - 60 miles and hour.
As a truck driver your life is always on the move. Go here. Pickup. Go there. Deliver. Start again on spin cycle. Over. And Over. Again.
You just need to slow down, as frustrating as it is that this is adding more driving time to your day making log books slightly more interesting. The fact that every mile an hour that you travel over 60 miles an hour is causing you to lose .1 mpg and this means money is slowly trickling from your pocket. For example, if you slow down from 70 mpg to 65 mpg you will gain .5 mpg. This is a difference between 6 mpg and 6.5 mpg.
2) APU - Auxiliary Power Unit (generator)
This pretty rudimentary in the modern world on semi trucks. It is hard to find a semi truck without one. They power all your amenities, keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter - or the other way round if your weird.
It cancels out your idling time. Idling time affects your mpg by the fact of you are burning so many gallons of fuel while moving 0 miles and so it drops very quickly making your average MPG much lower than it would be otherwise. While idling the average truck burns a gallon of fuel an hour - this should give you a fairly good idea.
3) Shift at the right RPM (rotations per minute)
A Semi Truck is supposed to shift at 900 - 1100 RPM while downshifting , and 1300-1500 RPM while upshifting. When you shift around this at higher or lower RPMs then you start to lose fuel mileage.
4) Accelerate as little as possible while maintaining a good speed while going down most hills. Your truck is heavy object and will accelerate by itself well enough.
5) Choose a 13 speed versus a 10 speed- this can improve fuel economy by.2-.3 MPG. It is hard to come by a truck like this these days, because on the whole they make newer trucks only 10 speed, however if you can find one all the best to you.
6) Spec a high torque engine- if you spec an 1850 torque engine versus a 1650 torque engine you can gain more than .2 MPG.
Despite the science and tables of constant proof, many drivers still prefer to drive as fast as possible and some companies even encourage it, preferring to go for speed of delivery vs. efficiency in their vehicles. The hours of service is a constant restriction on many drivers who have trouble staying organized enough to maintain a slow speed of driving and keeping themselves from running out of hours. I will admit that I have often traded out fuel efficiency for speed on certain loads especially towards the end of my hours available for the week just to keep within the bounds of the law.
So I hope my advice helps, Safe Driving!!!
What is good fuel mileage?
For a Semi Truck in 2012-2013 good fuel mileage tends to average around 6 - 7 miles per gallon (sometimes higher) this increases every year as newer truck models come on the market and the technology improves. If a Semi Truck is getting below 6 miles a gallon then their may be a mechanical problem with the truck or it might be what we in the industry call a Dudd. Sometimes, a truck will just start falling apart for no reason. There is nothing you can do except get rid of it before it gets rid of you.
How do I get good fuel mileage?
1) Drive at 58 - 60 miles and hour.
As a truck driver your life is always on the move. Go here. Pickup. Go there. Deliver. Start again on spin cycle. Over. And Over. Again.
You just need to slow down, as frustrating as it is that this is adding more driving time to your day making log books slightly more interesting. The fact that every mile an hour that you travel over 60 miles an hour is causing you to lose .1 mpg and this means money is slowly trickling from your pocket. For example, if you slow down from 70 mpg to 65 mpg you will gain .5 mpg. This is a difference between 6 mpg and 6.5 mpg.
2) APU - Auxiliary Power Unit (generator)
This pretty rudimentary in the modern world on semi trucks. It is hard to find a semi truck without one. They power all your amenities, keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter - or the other way round if your weird.
It cancels out your idling time. Idling time affects your mpg by the fact of you are burning so many gallons of fuel while moving 0 miles and so it drops very quickly making your average MPG much lower than it would be otherwise. While idling the average truck burns a gallon of fuel an hour - this should give you a fairly good idea.
3) Shift at the right RPM (rotations per minute)
A Semi Truck is supposed to shift at 900 - 1100 RPM while downshifting , and 1300-1500 RPM while upshifting. When you shift around this at higher or lower RPMs then you start to lose fuel mileage.
4) Accelerate as little as possible while maintaining a good speed while going down most hills. Your truck is heavy object and will accelerate by itself well enough.
5) Choose a 13 speed versus a 10 speed- this can improve fuel economy by.2-.3 MPG. It is hard to come by a truck like this these days, because on the whole they make newer trucks only 10 speed, however if you can find one all the best to you.
6) Spec a high torque engine- if you spec an 1850 torque engine versus a 1650 torque engine you can gain more than .2 MPG.
Despite the science and tables of constant proof, many drivers still prefer to drive as fast as possible and some companies even encourage it, preferring to go for speed of delivery vs. efficiency in their vehicles. The hours of service is a constant restriction on many drivers who have trouble staying organized enough to maintain a slow speed of driving and keeping themselves from running out of hours. I will admit that I have often traded out fuel efficiency for speed on certain loads especially towards the end of my hours available for the week just to keep within the bounds of the law.
So I hope my advice helps, Safe Driving!!!