End Dump Trailer's MPG

Hello There!

I am new here. You can find my thread in the new here section.

This is essentially the whole reason I joined this thread, to be honest! I have a small dump truck business, five total trucks, and we broker three more.

Two of my units are tractor-trailer dumps (two 35 ft. east trailers, but just replaced with a 26 ft. east tri axle to be more handy on hourly jobs). I updated our tractors last year to 2004 Freightliner Columbia day cabs with S60 14L 455 engines. Personally, the few days I run, I love them. Drivers like the way they pull as well. For the life of me, I can not get any fuel mileage out of them. My heaviest footed driver gets just UNDER 4mpg (3.9-4.1), and my most fuel effecient driver gets between 4.0-4.4 Previously in semi-tractor dump units, I have owned 425 C12's. I was almost always getting 5.0 or just over with them.

I am looking to add two more units, and would love to go back to the Freightliners (I buy from Ryder fleet sales. You get full maintenance records, and they are always road-ready), but am terrified this is the best I am going to get out of a 14L. I like to to stay under the $40k range here in Ohio when I buy day cabs.

I am looking at an 04 Columbia with a C12 380, can be tuned to 430. Who knows. Really at a loss right now for cheaper day cabs. ANY advice or recommendations would be appreciated!

Thanks!

 

I know I am in the worst trade for MPG, but this Detroit has done worse than anything I have owned before. We are in and out of quarries, plants, and job sites all day long. Average of about 300 miles per day, weighing 80k gross every single haul.

 

Thanks for your response Mountain. Seems relatively comparable to mine, unfortunately, with the tonnage difference accounted for.

 

3.73s, 40k, eaton 10 spd. 169" w.b.