Any fleets running Super Singles?

CFI does, many tanker fleets, Lp gas haulers, some bulk food and plastics haulers, companies where they can make use of the weight savings. You just have to look around and see who does.

Just out of curiosity, why are you asking? It isn't a criteria I would worry about too much if I were job hunting.

 

More than anything else, it depends on what you are pulling and how much weight you have on whether or not they are worth having. If you continually load right up to the 80k mark, then there is some logic in the weight savings. if you don't, then it's probably not worth the expense. If you buy a truck that already has them on, well and good. If you want to swap on a set on a truck that doesn't have them, expect to give away a good 3000 or more to put on a set of them and rims. Unless you can make the econmic gains from the weight savings to make up for that cost, they simply don't pencil out at the current costs.

If you look down in our "Storage trailer" section, you will find a long thread discussing them in depth.

 

Burky,
weight savings is only part of the equation in the concept of running super singles. The biggest reason fleets are using them is the fuel mileage savings. It is hard to believe but, a truck and trailer equppied with super singles will get between .3 and .5 mpg better than one with duals on all axles. It is simply due to a smaller "footprint",thus less rolling resistance. I currently have them on 1 truck and two trailers conducting my own real world test.

 

Are you really seeing that much improvement? I know when I was driving a Centry class Frieghtliner with a standard set-up, a 515hp 60, I could get better mileage then a Volvo 670 with SS and a 400hp D12. Heck even when I had a trailer with SS the mileage still wasn't what I was getting out of a "bigger" engined Detriot. The Volvo was a much nicer truck to drive, don't get me wrong on that, oh man it was like night and day. And the seats in the volvo....

But the mileage, I know it is like night and day, different trucks, different engines, but you'd think the Volvo would have been whipping the pants off the Frieghtliner.

 

I have a good friend that hauls fuel in AZ and she tell me that the SS tires are more unstable in the corners and tend to want to track with the ruts in worn stretches of road. Also said that if givin the choice will take one of her companies duel tired trucks. For those that are wondering she has about 10 years OTR and has pulled most everything at one point or another so I tend to respect her opinion

 

I absolutely am seeing that much improvement. Since eight of my ten trucks are spec'd identically, it is very easy to prove. As well as the fact that I track fuel numbers on a weekly basis to .01 mpg and have for years, therefor I know exactly what that truck was getting with duals.

As for the instability concern; my driver has said about the same thing. "The trailer tends to get skatie in corners and lane changes...and don't even ask about driving on an interstate with ruts!" That was the comments made by my senior driver(26 years with us 30 total years experience) that has been my guinea pig in this experiment. I haven't decided for sure,but I don't think I will be switching the rest of the fleet due to his concerns and others I have heard say the same thing. I think I will decide for sure when he goes on vacation. I will take a week long trip in his truck myself.

 

What about the added expense from a blow-out? With duals you don't have to wait for a service truck to come change your ruined wheel, you just go to the nearest tire shop and get on with your trip.

 

2008 US Xpress Trailers have Super Single's on them