I'm sitting here at a loves fuel line,waiting to wash my windows..bleh.. Began thinkin this..maybe someone can help.. How much fuel is used to start the truck? I mean is it "smarter" to just let it idlewhile waitin on a driver in the fuel isle? Er....vs. On and off,on and off? Thanks
simple question..?
Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by lowjo, Mar 17, 2011.
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It uses the same amount of fuel as a normal injection event. So turning the engine off when it isn't needed will save you fuel vs. letting it run and idle.
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Take notice of UPS parcel vans when delivering. Engine off, even if making a 2 second delivery......Of course, they go thru starters pretty quick.
outerspacehillbilly Thanks this. -
Exactly. No one ever brings that up do they? Personally I would idle the couple minutes rather than keep wearing out a starter, but, we all know that those couple minutes waiting to fuel can turn into a couple hours while that driver in front of you takes his monthly shower and stops in at the buffet. -
Not to start a pissing match or anything but I start and stop my cummins 5.9L all the time and haven't replaced a starter in the 4 years I've owned it. The international tractors I drove at my last job had a 1 minute auto shutdown feature and I delivered to Walgreens stores all day and never had a start issue in the two years I worked there.
I think it really comes down to how much you would be idling compared to how much fuel could be saved and the cost of a replacement starter. If you save more than the cost of a starter then it's worth it, if you don't save that much it wouldn't be worth it. So I'm sure a company such as UPS is saving more money than it costs to replace the starters in their trucks when they do finally go bad.
Just my $.02.outerspacehillbilly Thanks this. -
Ok here I was being nice to you--and you STEAL my TAGLINE--###### boy!
LOL
Anyway for my $.02--please take in consideration your engine temp and turbo--when you pull in--I never shut down my truck b4 idling@least 5 minutes--and no I do not idle for the sake of idling--maybe it is a little ol fashioned--some say it is not as critical w/the new engines as it once was--but I don't buy it--Heavy Duty diesels need to cool B4 they are shut off--so I would say it depends how long you are sitting in that line and what your temps are--More than one new driver had just finished a big pull (for one example) pulled into(whatever)and shut their engine down right away--only to learn the hard way about coolant pressure--
So there it is MY$.02outerspacehillbilly and DirtyMartini Thank this. -
and to really save from excessive idling, UPS trucks are not supposed to make left turns......too much time waiting for the light to change or traffic to clear is wasting fuel too...
i'd like to see some trucking companies try to tell thier drivers not to make left turns....
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/12/23/why-ups-drivers-never-turn-left/ -
Try that with the NASCAR guys, and they wouldn't know what to do!

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Well I hate to tell UPS but there drivers that deliver to houses in the country make left turns all the time to turn around after they passed there address cause they were FLYING down the road. I see it everyday.
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