9 - 10 mpg

They also try to haul as light as possible. Not to hard as they haul for some of the same clients out of El Paso that we do. A lot of El Paso outbound freight is under 35k

 

My guess is that the single drive axle is the biggest contributor to their increased MPG. Between that and the 65mph limit, I'd say that accounts for the bulk of their fuel savings.

 

I would agree on the single drive axle. It saves somewhere in the area of 400-500 lb of weight compared to dual drives. And closing up the gap between tractor and trailer is a real plus also. They got a lot of our tax money as incentives to get a lot of this stuff. But I have to admit, they figured out and proved a lot of things that make sense.

 

Prime is getting similar fuel mileage, but they haul heavy most of the time at 55-60 mph. Prime doesn't get any where near the fuel discounts that I receive.
It's not just all the goofy looking aero gimmicks, it's also the gears in the boxes while operating at peak engine torque.

 

if i bobtail i can get 9.5.

so i'm not seeing 8 - 9 happening with a loaded trailer.

 

get more MPG to haul cheap frreight. Yep that makes sense.

 

Yup that's how it's done in Europe, 1 drive axle ( 1mpg saving on average ) super singles everywhere except on drive axle, deep pin trailers to get it as close to the cab as possible, engines cruise at 1000-1200rpms so nowdays a 700hp+ semi will do 11mpgs @ 97,000lbs, a lightly loaded truck will get 12 mpgs, the cab-over design has a distinct aerodynamic advantage but yeah these little things make a huge difference

 

Yep a point so many people miss running in you engines power range. I have a 1996 classic XL that's like throwing a brick at a hurracaine and I still get 6.5 to 7 I meet a guy in iowa that also has an older classic whos ecm report shoes 9 with and avg speed of 61. he said the biggest diffence makers was regearing and getting more power to the top gears and alittle less speed beefing up the motor and he said the quickest was cleaning out his fuel tanks.....

 

Just curious how you get better discounts than Prime does.