Long term benefits of hauling “light” loads

I hear drivers crying about heavy loads all the time, it’s part of the business, just get more hp and ride.

 

Also depend on the freight and operating area.. I could get better mpg with a heavy and aerodynamic load out west than i could with a light and tall and bulky non aerodynamic load out in the plains. Atleast on flatbed , most the times ur heavy . Equipment takes alot of abuse even more so if u go offroading and to jobsites

 

The truck you see on the left has been "power only for 17 of it's 20 year life. Even before that it was lighter loads. That means at least 20% bobtail miles, you can't put less stress on a drivetrain than that. Another 50% of the miles are empty trailers, maybe 20% of the total miles are grossing over 70K.
Original transmission and rears, never been opened up. 2 million miles. Decided to do a reman at a million miles, but that was probably premature. 2 clutches. Brakes last average miles because some of the older trailers we haul have crummy brakes. Tires go 300K on the rear, 150K on the front. Average quality rubber, nothing special.
Yes, lighter loads have a significant affect on maintenance cost.

 

One of the units used to measure how much wear a truck, or any vehicle goes though is to determine how much fuel it has burned in a given number of miles.
It stands to reason that if truck A has burned 20,000 gallons of fuel( 5 mpg) in 100,000 miles
And Truck B has burned 15,000 gallons of fuel(7 mpg) in 100,000 miles, then truck B, all other variables even, has put that much less wear and tear on at least the driveline and engine.
That is one of the items that is handy with an ECM, checking the total number of gallons burned in it's lifetime and compare it to other similar trucks.

 

Please elaborate?

 

What’s to elaborate? Get a single screw tractor and go to work.

 

If you can find steady, good paying light loads then by all means go for it. You'll really only be saving a LITTLE bit across the board. What do you consider light? 5k i consider light. 20k nah that's a load

 

One of my steady runs is between 28-32k and the other run is 43k and to tell you the truth i don't notice much of a difference mpg wise

 

What I like the most about light loads, is drivability. Heavy loads, every shift needs to be done smoothly, to avoid damaging the drivetrain. They’ll take abuse, but still will wear or fail sooner. I tend to wind mine up real easy, till It’s roiling good, then keep it rolling. I usually get passed, by the Truck behind Me, as soon as we’re out of a scale house, only pass them, once it’s wound up.Who’s the slow poke now!! Lol

 

IMO high speeds and tall miles hammer down wears components faster. I know most everyone wants to get there quick. But some time saved is not always economical. Just what i have experienced and tested out. Not always how fast i can climb a hill or mountain..but how many times i can climb it without issues. Less $$ out of my pocket is my game plan.