How to get the best fuel economy?

They must of been running like me 80+.lol

 

I average right around 8 but my truck has a Detroit motor doubt there is a hole lot of difference .

You could try just bobtailing every where . or only load like 5 pallets in the trailer.

 

Or put fuel in it out of your pocket and be like ooooh I got 15 mpg to your boss.

 

There are people that actually do that .
the bonus they get will be more then it costs for the extra fuel, but calculate righ or you will end up getting caught.

 

1) Cruise as slowly as you can and still make appointment. This may mean using a lower gear. Maxxforce 13 is happy down to 1000rpm. DD15 down to 1100. ISX is probably similar. Older engines liked more revs, but not the new ones breathing through filters...
2) Don't idle unless absolutely necessary. figure 3/4gal per hour idling. 8mpg over 500 miles turns into 7mpg if you idle 12 hours.
3) Accelerate only as fast as required to get the job done. You have 500hp. For years many fleets did the exact same job with engines making 230... When loaded accelerate using only 150-175hp on flat ground. Use 250 or so when going up hill. Scangauge is very useful for this.
4) Pedal it up and down hills -- bleeding speed on the way up and letting gravity get you back up to speed on the way down.
5) Look ahead and anticipate other drivers moves.
6) Drive as if every time you touch the brake pedal you will get a static electric shock -- learn to coast that 1/2-1 mile before the off ramp rather than exiting at 65mph and hitting the brakes...
7) Don't use air conditioning unless you need to -- below 80F in dry climates you can be quite comfortable with the fresh air venting & the fan on high. But leave the windows up. Even when it's 100, turn off the AC when going uphill and turn it back on as you descend.
8. Make sure you don't have any air leaks. You should be able to leave the air to your trailer charged, park your truck, and come back 12 hours later to 80psi...
9) Make sure your tires are always properly inflated.
10) get a ~$25 infrared thermometer to check hub & brake temps -- if any one is higher than the others, investigate why. Dragging brake, wheel bearing issue, whatever it is, fix it. Heat takes energy to produce -- that energy ultimately comes from your fuel tank.
11) If you don't need to drive in adverse conditions -- don't! If its crazy windy and you can afford the time, park for 8 hours and resume the trip when its calmer. Coming into a big city at 4:55pm? Consider taking a 2 hour break as part of an 8/2 split to avoid traffic

It never hurts to drop 3/4 mile in elevation

 

You should be able to drive like an ### hole and get 5.5. That being said, mpg is directly related to how hard you press your right foot. Make sure you int he gear for the motors peek performance and go as light as you can with your right foot. Accelerate slowly. On a 200 mile trip that is all highway, that first acceleration can make the difference between 6 mpg and 7 mpg. Take the extra min to get up to highway speed. If you have a boost gauge, try to keep it under 20 during acceleration.

 

Here are two older articles to refer to that discuss increasing your fuel economy:
.
www.OverdriveOnline.com/smart-driving-6 entitled More Miles, Fewer Gallons
www.OverdriveOnline.com/smart-driving-11 entitled 11 Ways to Save
.
.Hopefully, they will point you in a productive direction. Good luck.

 

If you can't get over 5.5 pulling a dry van you have issues. I average 6.5 in a tanker running as close to 80000 as I can on every load.

 

He's hauling a reefer as stated in his first post. But still he should easily get around 7MPG on average even with a heavier trailer.