They didn't make millions penny pinching fuel. They are for the most part ignorant of fuel milage.
They made money cheating drivers and milking the government for training money.
MPG
Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by TheRipper, Mar 1, 2017.
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Loose Leaf, HalpinUout, gokiddogo and 1 other person Thank this.
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Don't forget leasing trucks to people that don't know any better......With what they make off those leases they can afford to haul freight for nothing..HalpinUout, Toomanybikes, wore out and 1 other person Thank this.
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That's why the have the best prices on fuel in the country, lots of newer trucks, low governer speeds, and trucks tuned for fuel efficiency?
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They do all that because it is more profitable to do that than it is to allow them a wide open brick and offer a fuel incentive. Same reason for their negotiating power on massive fuel discounts because of their quantity - all they have to do is tell the driver "fuel at pilot ONLY!" and away he goes.
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They buy the most fuel. Large quantity = good price.
Their mechanics are not only incapable of fixing problems that older trucks develop, but they have a difficult time maintaining new trucks as it is. If it wasn't for the factory warrantee these companies wouldn't have any trucks on the road.
They pay CPM, so a truck driver's time costs them nothing. Free time vs higher fuel costs - It isn't a decision, the truck driver's time is free!
Again the CPM truck driver donates his time so the megas can assess other factors.Last edited: Mar 2, 2017
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Okay so everyone understands me,
I am not trying to change how you drive. I just wanted to hear the whys. If you have freight that requires it or you just darn want to drive fast, so be it.
The only thing I was noticing was how fast I see A LOT of oo's running and wondering if that correlates with why so many go out of business. For guys that are successful enough for themselves, more power to you.
Just a little more food for thought...talked to a new oo with landstar a while back in Denver. Said he wasn't making any money, basically operating in the red. I asked him how fast he runs, said the speed limit, I asked him his MPG and he said he wasn't sure. He said he would figure in the low 5's.
So, that kinda sparked this whole thing in my mind. I wanted to test out my mpgs at different speeds. I run the Phoenix to Houston deal once in a whIle but decided to do it 3 weeks in a row.
Now, my conclusion is that guys hauling cheaper freight that is not under massive time constraint, absolutely have have have to be extremely fuel efficient to be successful. Now if you have great freight or JIT, then it's a different story.
Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I see....
Thanks to everyone who responded, and I do really think about each response. Did not mean to offend anyone.Lepton1 Thanks this. -
I agree with you, but I do know that the director of the fuel department at Stevens loves to talk about how he has the highest budget in the company annually. I just know that Stevens says their fleet average is like a 7.4 or so. So they do care about maximizing profit through fuel
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The reason he's failing is because he doesn't know how to run a business. To compare it to the medical field, the FIRST thing they do is read vitals. Otherwise they're just stabbing in the dark.
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There really isn't one single thing that dooms any business, but a combination of several. So many have failed due to a piss poor economy and break downs rather than fuel mileage. So many think the only time to put a truck in the shop is when it quits or gets shut down. A one truck show or small fleet following the mega example on extended oil drain and regular maintenance is a boo boo waiting to happen. They profit from it because 8-10 gallon of oil spread over 2000 trucks is serious dough. But 8-10 gallon for one along with a filter and lube is peanuts. Doing your own greasing so you know it's done right instead of paying some stick who don't like his job and has no skin in your business doesn't sound bad either. You have to concentrate on every detail of the picture to see it all.
cnsper, Oxbow, rank and 1 other person Thank this. -
They all do that; it makes them feel important. Makes them feel like they have a purpose in life other then occupying cubical space.
Yes, they get that number through the qualcom. It is the same bad information drivers get on their trip computer: the same source the ECM.
Trucking and auto companies program that ECM like a emissions engineer at VW to work that figure over High fuel milage sells cars and trucks.
Generally no. Most megas are clueless. Of course they want to maximize profit, who doesn't. But you have to have an understanding of what is going on and most don't. Most do not know the real fuel economy of trucks and just rely on the info sent them through the qualcom and ECU on the truck. As I just stated that info is most often wrong.
The huge discrepancies between fuel bought and fuel consumed seldom gets a second thought. That huge loss in fuel is often just attributed to drivers steeling fuel. As always blame the driver.
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