flatbed mpg classic or aero? does it matter

I think any air resistance that you can eliminate will help improve mileage. It will never be great pulling open deck, but I think aero is better.

 

it does make a difference but not near as much as with reefer/van most guys get flat top if they're gonna run open deck just try to stay low i got the stand up sleeper on my 379 and as long as i stay below the sleeper i get decent milage for a rolling brick but if i go higher forget it

 

It doesn't. Our O/O's run kenworths and Pete's, and sharecroppers run Volvos, Cascadias, Coronados and 660s Kws. Had some office jockey tell us that their fuel surcharge was set up so that if we got better than 6 mpg, we would actually make money on fuel surcharge. None of them got over 6. She then told us about how much money we would save if we went 55 mph instead of 65. We would only lose 6 hours in a week but would save $400 a week in fuel. I told her that I would rather have the 6 hours. One extra load a month will offset a months worth of double nickel driving, and I can get 4 extra. Time>Money.

she asked me if there was anything that I could think of that would alow me to get better fuel economy, and I told her that I could quit pulling oversized/overweight loads.

anything sitting taller than the step on your step deck is going to hurt you. It's part of the game.

 

most open deck trucks i see are hoods ive talked to a few guys driving aeros and and they all said the same thing fuel milage wasnt great only reason why they bought them was because they were cheap. i say get what u want if u want 389 get a 389 those newer cali legal motors are whats gonna kill u with all the repairs and maintenance.

any peticular reason on why u want to go to cali?

id either get 07 or older of if u can afford it glider kit flatbed freight going in is iffy and flatbed going out is even more iffy my company just told us the other day new company policy no more trucks to cali it aint worth it

 

I got 6.3 mpg last quarter. 05 Intl 9400, Cummins ISX, 53' steel stepdeck. I didn't have much deadhead, but I did have a lot of light loads. I drive the speed limit or 72 mph whichever comes first.

 

gotcha now i understand as much as i am a cat fanatic i have to tell u stay the hell away from the 08 cat acerts with the DPF everyone that i knew that owned one told me they are junk but that really can be said for all the 08 engines as they were still working the bugs out i do hear good things about the newer cummins though but i have no experience with them though.

cant go wrong with the 389 resale value

 

Would you beleive I get over 7 mpg, most of the time with my 379 pulling a step. But I'm a slow driver. Never in a hurry.
Drop below 6 when I get milatary vehicle on.
Get my best when I haul full load that makes it like a van.

 

I drive a flat top 379 exhd, 270 inch wheel base, and a big cat. I pull a low profile Doonan step deck, and most of the time I average between 6.1 to 6.4 MPG. I usually run about 67, which comes out to 1500 RPM the way my truck is geared. Mine actually gets better fuel milage grossed out at 80,000lbs with something short like plate steel or coils. If I pull something tall like a high cube container, even though it is light, I can really tell the difference with the drag, and fuel milage goes down quick. I haul mostly steel and equipment, and try to stay away from anything to tall like lumber or containers. It all depends on what you are pulling and how tall it is as to weather it will make any difference.