8+ MPG Truck

Before anyone thinks that i want it to seem as we Euro's have reinvented the wheel..............we haven't.
But try paying our prices for fuel and i garantee you that attitudes change fast.

 

I see that most of the better fuel mileage is coming from light loads and vans or both. Let's hear from the flatbed guys that haul gross loads of 75k+LBS gross weight.

 

My truck gets 200 mpg at 100 mph!

 

It is unrealistic to expect that pulling flats and heavy all the time is going to average some serious high 7 / low 8 mpg numbers. There are too many variables thrown into the mix. Aerodynamics being a major player. In the right hands, under the right conditions, it is probably doable on a run or two, but average? Not likely. Still, that doesn't negate that even those folks could probably do better than they are. Just because a truck pulling heavy with flats will not get 8 mpg all the time is no reason to run so hard that you only get 4 mpg all the time. And some do have that kind of mindset.... "I can't get 8 mpg, so to heck with it, I will run the dog pee out of this truck and prove even further that I can't get 8 mpg. That will show em all."

 

Depends. We average 70,000 lbs+ GVW, and my overall average for the last two years has been 7.8 mpg pulling a reefer. Quite frequently I'm over 8 mpg, but as it's been pointed out, there are a lot of variables. Mountains and wind pull the snot right out of my fuel economy, the older trailers with duals doesn't do anything for it, and when I have a load that has to be run at 65 mph I'm not getting great mileage either.

 

I wish I could post a photo from my phone, but a friend of mine has a 2012 389 glider. 6nz cat pushing 650 with an 18 speed and 3.36 gears with tall 24.5 rubber. I took a pic of his little tripometer thing and it showed 6.8 MPG with an average speed of 78.9 MPH. This is hauling cows grossing 90k and better. Truck is also a flat top. I don't see why all the slow poke drivers ain't getting 10 MPG pulling general freight. And we checked the math with pen and paper and the fuel mileage is correct.

 

Nice, And you guys 78.9 is dead stopped for your breed! I never see you guys down around the speed limit. You guys do great work and I understand that time is $$$ And those cows lose a pound(my guestimate) an hour standing in a truck peeing all the way down the road.

 

Pittsburg power turned out a glider at 850 hp,owner is getting 8.6 hauling crude. Getting around EPA is huge with fuel mileage! EGR killed mileage , then came DPF kicked it below the belt! Most of us are trying to get back to where we were 10 years ago. A MPG is roughly 200 bucks a week, depends on weekly miles ran and local prices. That's 10 k a year , per MPG change.


The job he is on is rough on fuel ! Weight, speed, and just the design on the trailer . Face it he is pulling a cheese grater! Glad he is getting numbers that good! And know there is room to improve on that, just finding it.

 

:in
I do the same thing as he does. I'm geared different with a 2ws motor, so not as good of mileage. The thing is though, if we load legal or run slow we get crappy mileage and no power. The heavier and harder we push them the better they do. Also no pdi or Pittsburgh power. All cat codes and just tweaked by the right guy

 

red Volvos 780 are better on mpg
I own a red Volvo 780, 2008/D13 485HP, but Eaton 13 speed manual..truck speed limited to 65mph, i'm buying most diesel from places supplied by Shell, from my experience they have better quality diesel fuel, ( Petro, Brazil, Indiana, Flying J in Ontario,...)i'm getting average 8-8.2 /year. Last month average 7.8 MPG but i run in temps below freezing more than half of the miles, pulling for Celadon Canada from Ontario to Texas/ most trailers with aerodymanic skirts , saves 0.3 mpg. I have 1,060,000 miles(team truck), original motor, turbo still amazing MPG. I've pulled many light loads, 5-15,000 lbs from Ontario/ Quebec to Laredo, Tx with high 8 and over 9MPG.
I see here many of you buying glider kitts with Detroit D60 motors for the price of the new truck; What's the deal? Why not buy an 2004 or older truck with blown up motor for 10-15,000$ and with another 25,000$ you can get a new remanufactured D60 with 250,000 miles warranty. I'm asking because my last truck, Volvo 770 2001, Detroit D60 without any EGR and DPF, i used to get 7-7.2 MPG working same company same average loads; the 12.7L Detroit D60 was powerless ,weak comparing with Volvo D13.
I've spent $$ on sensors,cleaning DPF on this one, but i replaced the EGR/DPF last year for first time after 900,000 miles.