2014 Volvo 780

Your inbox is full - so I'll post here and risk the bashing.

Hey man.

Probably the biggest expense aside from your wages is fuel. The higher MPG you can attain, the better.

Really wish you could listen to the trucking channel on XM about 11pm each night, Kevin Rutherford. He's got all the info on it.

Seeing as you're buying new, that cuts out a lot of possibilities, but he always preaches the following -

1 - Slow down. Every 1mph you go above 60mph costs you a tenth of a MPG. So 75 mph, you're losing 1.5mpg over 60mph. Can't beat aerodynamics.
2 - Go for an aerodynamic truck versus W900 brick shape.
3 - Match engine to trans to rear end for running at about 55-60mph. Sometimes running a 13 single over in 12 (direct) to get the sweet spot (different for different motors) is best.
4 - Tires. Low profile 22.5s . Less sidewall means less flex. Single wides if possible.
5 - Cut idle time. Bunk heater for winter, or APU for all season. Bunk heaters are cheap - but you still have to either idle in summer, or get a motel. Idling is the worst for the new trucks, especially with the DEF/DPF hoo ha.
6 - Rolling resistance on tires - low as possible. Michelin XDA energy. (I think). Often cheaper to change out high rolling resistance tires for lower ones - for the fuel saving.

Thought I'd PM you this as I'm not an O/O and don't need the bashing from them - that's just what I've learned.

Side note - closing up the gap between tractor and trailer and adding trailer skirts and the new trucks having fairings (2014 Cascadias), and cutting from 70mph to 65mph have taken our doubles from a fleet average of low 5mpg to low 7mpg. That's a #### ton of extra money for the company when you add up 4,000 trucks.

We run 10 speed E/F with 3.42 rears at 65mph engine turns 1375rpm.

I see too many O/O running down the road blowing their profit right out of the stacks. With a new truck payment you're going to need all the extra cash you can get.

Get that scanguage the guy suggested - learn to drive by it, pick up a half mile per gallon just by altering the nut behind the wheel!

My 3 cents. !

Blair.

 

Bash Bash Bash BASH!

That is excellent advice, I'm glad his box is full! I'm heading into a deal but looking at used from the company i'm going to be running for, I know go ahead and BASH me! Bla Bla Bla! I don't crumble easily so go for it. I am setting up my break even numbers with low MPG's. But this ScanGuage! Is an awesome device, I highly suggest it!, I don't have one yet but once I figure out what I'm going to do next I'm going to be getting one! I'm hoping Santa brings me one!

 

There's drivers pushing 10 mpg in those newer Volvos. Don't set your sights too low. Yes you will have to do better load scheduling, trip planning, and self control to get that since you will definitely be checking speed. Fact is, with the right mpg adders and a light foot, you can approach that in any truck.

When you're thinking about wheelbase, take a ride up to Atlanta some time and check out the docks at Nordic cold storage in Doraville, I-85N Exit 96. The place has no guard shack so you can take a look. The E-docks in the back are the best (not). A close second is Kroger in East Point. That one has a gate, but you can see the docks from the street in front. Every time I start thinking about a long truck, all I need to do is load at one of those places built back in the days of 28 foot trailers and that thought evaporates.

If you're doing open deck, then forget all that.

 

Hi, Kevin! How are you doing? ))))

 

75mph is nice and makes u feel like youre saving a crap ton of time. But driving 70 is not much different

 

Obviously you won't hit 10 with terrain. On the other hand, I can get mine into the high 6's/low 7's with a load if the traffic is light with just a little effort and time to make it work. Any mpg adders (skirts, tires, etc) would be upside for me, as I have none of them.

 

I have a 2014 Volvo 780 with a D13 Eco-Torque engine, the I-Shift transmission, 22.5 lp tires and 3.08 rear end ratio.

If I were ordering a new truck today I would lean towards the 13 speed rather than the I-Shift. There are definitely some things to like about the I-Shift but it has some quirks that drive me crazy at times. I am usually loaded pretty light and I think these quirks are more likely to be encountered as a result. Then there are the times it isn't consistent in how/when it shifts.

And with the gear ratios of the two highest gears on the I-Shift(OD version) it is difficult to match it up well with any rear end/tire combination. What I mean by this is you can spec it to run at an rpm that may be nearly ideal for 12th gear(@65 mph) but in 11th gear(@58 mph in CA, OR or around major cities and in work zones) you'll be at or above 1500 rpm or lugging it in 12th. With the Fuller 13 speed(manual and automatic) it is easier to get a better rear end match with the top two gears.

Knowing what I know now I may have been better off with the XE package, but I'm not convinced.

 

What kind off rpm's do you call lugging it?