I should clarify that for WEST of Lincoln NE.

Doing 66 out to Idaho for me last week, I was sitting still compared to trucks passing me.

Originally Posted by MNdriver

I should clarify that for WEST of Lincoln NE.

Doing 66 out to Idaho for me last week, I was sitting still compared to trucks passing me.

Must have been a tail wind across Elk Mountain zone!

Geee....I almost miss that piece of road......NOT!!!

Originally Posted by Roadmedic

How could you miss it?

Oh I don't know....turn right onto 70 off 15 maybe????

I was debating if I even wanted to share this. Figured what the hell, why not feed the fire some more.

WHY is time more important than fuel? Because when you minimize the time you spend on a load, you can carry MORE LOADS. I am not advocating speeding or running 80 mph. I am advocating that you manage your time to its fullest and get out from under a load as quickly as possible.

You have to accept that both FUEL AND TIME are a valuable commodity to get the load in. Saving you both money, time and fuel.

The first sheet is what happens when you look at $2.50 gallon fuel. What is the break even speed. Where Overhead and fuel cost are matching. It's right around 64-65 mph.

When you toss in fuel cost to $3.50 per gallon, it cuts that speed WAY back to 54-55 mph.


To get your speed back, you need to seriously improve your mileage and to get to 8.8 mpg at 63 MPH to the OP original question, it gives you a break even speed of 64-65 MPH.

Oh, but that's just academics....Well, so is the 0.1 MPG for every 1 MPH speed you change. If it's only academics, then why do every CDL mill company have a staff full of academic bean counters telling them to run a truck at X speed.

The one thing you will or should notice. No matter what the speed/time. The over all cost for fuel and time pretty much evens out. So what you loose in time, you gain in fuel. What you gain in time, you loose in fuel.


The kicker comes when you can get out of a load quicker and increase your revenue by picking up that extra load per week by getting out from under that last load an extra day or half-day early because you kept the left door closed and maximized your efforts to deliver the load on-time or early.

Originally Posted by MNdriver

The kicker comes when you can get out of a load quicker and increase your revenue by picking up that extra load per week by getting out from under that last load an extra day or half-day early because you kept the left door closed and maximized your efforts to deliver the load on-time or early.

I like fuel fed fires!!!!!

I won't quibble with simple arithmatic...Fuel v speed, speed v fuel...your analysis is correct. So I did not see the need to bring that part forward in the quote. As to the final paragraph:

Whether it be fleet or individual driver, that final analysis actually applies to "robot mentality"...the same philosophy (arguments pro/con for assembly line)...what is not factored in that simplistic approach is the human factor. Humans are not robots...even though company mentality streams that way...humans need some down time to "re-charge", to unwind, to be fresh, and to be comaptible with the "work ethic" instilled in our livelihood!