what have you guys done to become more fuel efficient

I have no clue however I'm curious as to what your RPMs are at 65? Thanks for sharing.

 

My trainer was a man whos number one goal in life was to save as much fuel as possible. He passed this sacred knowledge onto me, and I shall pass it on to you my son.

1: keep your speed between 55-63. Unless im late, I always keep cruise control at 55. Its a slow trip but it helps.

2: learn to float. You probably already know how, but if not, floating is changing gears while moving without using your clutch. I learned this before I learned double clutch. Actually, I dont think I can double clutch to this day.

3: coast whenever possible. You would be suprised how steep of a hill you can coast straight up when you pull out of gear. Or in city streets, instead of gassing it in traffic, just roll smoothly, in traffic, no ones going anywhere anyway.

4: never leave your truck on when you sleep. You want to make sure that the lot lizards can get you up when they need you, how can you hear them knock when your engine is making so much noise?

5: shift on 15rpm. I might be wrong on this one, ive heard different rpms to shift on, so look into this one.

6: truck/trailer accessories: ever see those trailers with the wings on the doors? Supposedly, that helps your fuel milage, there are other things that help as well.

7: fuel additives: there are compounds at truck stops that you pour into your tank along with your fuel that supposedly help your milage and keep your injectors clean. This is a debatable issue among truckers though. Also, if you go this route, walmart carries the same products for less than most truck stops.

keep in mind that floating and coasting are illegal, but ive only ever heard of one story where someone got a ticket for coasting, and that was hearsay anyway. Good luck brother!

 

That all sounds pretty much what I do. Sounds like you are driving easy. One thing I do when pulling hills is use the cruise control. When you down shift hit the cruise and eventually when you are as low as you need gear down you won't be making the truck work harder but just maintaining. Also when I crest the hill I just putter across the top and let the other side speed me back up. I pull a lot of hills.

 

Outside of making sure the engine is "tight" and the injectors and pump are good and in spec (fuel efficient spec) and using progressive shifting and "smart driving tactics", and the other obvious things, not much else you can do outside of buying wisely. Are you the driver or someone else? Do you buy fuel at only one location or do you operate interstate and buy at "just wherever"? I'm convinced not all fuel burns the same (or as efficiently) as another. (from different refineries and/or different blends)

When it's time to buy new tires, research them well. They can affect mileage some +/-

Also helps to make sure you're charging a fair price for you equipment, normal operating costs, and time.

 

Yeah that's all the advice I have to give really. Oh and run your heat full blast, no joke I drove through Arizona and New Mexico full blast heat in the summer in my fanatical first 6 months. I've cooled off since then, figuratively and literally lol. Also, if your paid a percentage and not by the mile like me, your dispatch makes a world of a difference. Knowing what loads to take and what weights through certain areas is key. Learn your geography. A 40000 lb load through oklahoma is much better than a 40000 lb load going through Pennsylvania. A 200 mile load paying 1000 is much better than a 1500 mile load paying 2300. But again, I think I'm stating the obvious.

 

Hmmm coasting will cause you to fail your CDL driving test, so there must be something wrong with it!?

Wanna save fuel, SLOW DOWN, check/adjust your tire pressure..YES your trailer too!

Accelerate smoothly, shift below 1500 rpm's..anticipate traffic, stop lights etc.. Slow down, coasting (in gear) is better than stopping/starting..I.e see a red light in front of you, don't race up to the intersection just to stop..time the light, roll up to it as it turns green and maintain your momentum.

Choose light loads if possible, avoid a strong headwind if possible, shut your truck off anytime you get out, avoid extended idle time and keep your left door closed.

 

Theres a loves in for worth that is 3.64 a gal last time I checked