Company guys.. lightweights and fuel mpg bonus

Discussion in 'Prime' started by crocky, Sep 18, 2017.

  1. crocky

    crocky Road Train Member

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    I'm company and will be upgrading soon. Im curious about the lightweight trucks and their mpg. Ive heard from 2 people, that you often cant hit the mpg bonus if you run at 62 mph. Is this true?

    Im doing my tnt in a auto cascadia and we always do better than the fleet average. So Im curious with the smaller motor and likely carrying heavier loads on the lightweight, will I end up having a hard time getting the fuel bonus if I do 62mph?

    If so, Im curious if its a better option take the .05 cent hit to go with a fullsize truck but beable to make the fuel bonus while driving @ 62mph and get the .05 fuel bonus?
     
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  3. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    If you put a small motor on a big load, it's going to burn through fuel every hour fighting to get it towards 62. But you might not be able to hold it in the midwestern hills.

    If you have a big enough motor and 62 is not a problem, it will literally take a little bit of fuel as it needs to keep it there every hour.

    I had a old 87 350 Big cam 4 that pulled 80K up town hill at 19 to 21 mph maxed out at 2300. It takes a while to pull that 5 mile hill.

    Then they gave me then a brand new virgin early 90's Mack day cab with a 350 or very close to one, which proceeded to ease up that same mountain at 44 or so give or take a few mph depending on temperature at 80K. Same loading, same trailer etc. They sold that old 87 cabover with that crappy engine. It's had it's day then. But in interest of fleet profitability sell that old thing, get the new stuff. Fuel mileages take care of itself if not actually improves across the board.

    However.

    The 1980's fuel mileage of 4.5 miles to gallon using the old iron stuff compared to the deluxe BS piles of clouds, plush, luxury airride, autos etc you are doing 6.5 mpg roughly if not a little bit more 40 freaking plus years later. WHOO HOO.

    Not.
     
  4. crocky

    crocky Road Train Member

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    Well, I'm just trying to find out what guys who are driving the lightweights are getting.

    In the full size cascadia we are almost always over 8.5mpg. This trip we were 77k from Boise, ID to Amarillo, Tx we did 9.0 mpg at 60mph.

    So I know I can hit the fuel bonus in a full size truck while being at or near the company max speed. The problem is you have to take a .05 cent a mile cut if you take a full size truck.

    So I'm curious if the guys who drive the lightweights can actually get that fuel .05 cent bonus while driving at 62mph.. Meaning a .10 cent income advantage over the full size.

    If they cant, then perhaps it's better to take the full size truck, with the cut in milage pay to get the nicer truck and just make up the .05 cent loss with the better mpg at full speed and the fuel bonus.
     
  5. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    That's what we did. With a 63 mph truck. Fuel bonus did not exist in our time with the exception of DM Bowman back in the early 90's that amounted to 65 dollars extra a weekly payroll check in cash when you turn off the engine at every single traffic light you stop at. Restart engine and proceed on the green light. And that was regional flatbedding daily with a day cab with all sorts of weights. We went through a pile of starter motors that year. I think 4 total.

    To compare, I only had two bad starter motors in trucking all the rest of the time. Probably over a hundred tractors or so spread over a 3 million working time miles. Final average income accounting for inflation from late 80's to 2001-2009 came out to .32 a mile using my latest data supplied by SS for my entire working wages.
     
  6. swervyjoe

    swervyjoe Light Load Member

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    I usually got 2 cent bonus in a lightweight international running 62
     
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  7. mem

    mem Light Load Member

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    I run team now so I'm in a condo Cascadia but when I was in a lightweight Cascadia I never missed a fuel bonus and I drove 62 all the time.

    You will make more money in the lw regardless ($125 - $150 a week, fuel bonus will be comparable), and you might can get a little better fuel bonus slowing down when you have time. Condo will pull better mpg though.
     
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  8. crocky

    crocky Road Train Member

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    So the fuel bonus is a sliding scale type thing? I thought it was a set amount.

    ..actually I just looked at Prime's website and I couldn't event find anything on fuel bonus just a safety bonus..

    Humm
     
  9. 'SP

    'SP Light Load Member

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    Check this link and look under extra incentives https://driveforprime.com/drive/company-driver-careers/
     
  10. WesternPlains

    WesternPlains Road Train Member

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    Geesh..... Anybody ever hit that 10.75 mpg, getting 8.2 cpm bonus?
     
  11. skellr

    skellr Road Train Member

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    I think they have outdated info on that website. Prime nerfed the fuel bonus a while back so you only get 50% of whatever fuel you save. Sadly, not worth much now when fuel prices are low.
     
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