Building A New to Me Pete

I was gonna make the same comment guys. I see a mpg thrown around a lot, I want to see them pull what I pull at what I weigh. I'm not saying they won't still do better than me but I'm saying 9 won't happen.

 

I've noticed the "mpg above all else" crowd seems to be the $1.00 + fsc crowd as well. If you can't make market rates doing what you do it does make sense to try and limit the largest expenses one would have.

 

I don't see how driving 55 hauling light cheap freight is any different of a lifestyle than driving a truck you are proud of. 99 percent of the guys I know with high horse motors have enough sense to get paid for what they haul and get paid well.

 

It's true.
Also other folks` mistakes is not a reason not to make better business decisions yourself regardless, so that is not important as you might think

 

If you care to google Peterbuilt 587 with Isx 15 engine, it averaged 10 mpg with gross weight 65000
Last April in Texas for 11000 miles. Maybe it is not a regular truck and is not as heavy as you are but I bet the improvement in fuel millage would translate into 15~ grand to your bank account at the end of the year

 

different strategies work for different operations. You can tell us all again how better fuel mileage will increase the bottom line~ without running other peoples business models you can't accurately make a claim like that. If you load to 90k and have to run 750 miles and be there before daylight....saving money on fuel mileage and showing up late because of your reduced speed will likely only be saving you money on the one run you've just done.

I dont move anything that lives. If I slow down and get 7-9mpg I'll be well ahead of my current avg of 6.2......but may well not get those last couple stops off, or even the last one stop: which prevents me from reloading for the return load that carries me into the next morning. If I miss one of those single pick single drop loads that bring me back to my pickup for the multi stop loads: I'm behind $650-850...that's about 3.5/4 days fuel for me generally speaking.fuel Savings vs income lost...

one size doesnt fit all. I certainly won't tell you that the way I operate is for everyone. Quite the contrary, most don't want to hit the boroughs 3/4 times a week, or do 7/8 stops a day after that.

 

You might take a truck like that pulling heavier in mountains or two lane roads like some of us do and cost 15 grand. Not everyone gets the opportunity to haul I-10 lightweight freight year round. Like the others has said what works for one won't work for another. I figure a lot more into my decision making process on the fuel mileage. I figure in that extra upkeep for failing sensors and systems on the new truck, figure in that extra insurance premium, that added truck payment, loss of revenue for breakdowns, and not to mention the embarrassment of driving a plastic cabover....no thank you!

 

Dad always said.... If your gonna work a horse then ya got to feed it, 65,000lbs across Texas is not "working" a horse. Run that same load between Atlanta and Cleveland or even up to Baltimore and that 15,000 dollars is gonna dwindle in a years time of that, and thats the good roads.

 

Slowing down is just one aspect of it. You can disregard this whole thread. It's intended for Otr guys, not post office application