I thought WalMart had the best , safest drivers

I suppose I could turn on the CB to channel 19 and get some real solid business advice on trucking..... or listen to some one like Kevin Rutherford who is one of the smartest people in trucking I have ever met. I choose the latter.

 

Did you dig into those numbers he compiled? Its pretty funny how the ones we usually think are some of the worst actually rate pretty high. People just wont take the time to educate themselves and make their arguments with facts not channel 19 BS.

 

Kevin has made all his money, by selling bs to truckers. He sells DVD and boom training that cost what 800 bucks. He is a scam artist a sales rep for ATBS. And why would he make fedex look like the best. It's simply he is on there payroll. Hell he told some dude on the radio to run his truck in 9th gear.

 

Scott we get it you dont like KR but do you have any clue about the business of trucking or even basic understanding of how a trucks powertrain functions? Depending on your specs it can be very economical to run in 9th gear. With a 13 speed and 279's you can run in 12th and get very good results. Hes not saying run a ten speed with 336's in 9th because your RPM's would be over 1500! The idea is to be down in that 1200-1350 range for cruising,you have an extra gear if you need it.

 

We need OD in are trucks. Im sure it would help cut fuel costs more. The top five on that list really surprised me.

 

His advice on the radio show is free. Can you offer up some info that debunk his lists?

 

He gives out a ton of free advice,now how people out here choose to use it is what gets me.

The problem with crash data is FMCSA is the only place to get those statistics on all fleets. Im listening to the show now and KR challenged anyone with a source for those numbers to call in,so far like usual its hard to get people that disagree.

 

Bentonville is dead set against changing their basic specs,they increased the trade cycle but not enough to warrant the extra cost of things like oil bypass systems and waterless coolant. I have talked to the shop bosses for years trying to get them to just try and do a little testing on a very limited basis with those two things and then move forward based on results.

Like alot of large fleets the cost of fuel is just not worth the extra effort,just think what they could save if they were running 200+ miles between oil drains! I even worked the numbers out and they still wont budge. Aerodynamic tractors with wide singles and governed engines is apparently enough for the suits.

 

You tried. That is more than most can say.

 

What's Wal-Mart's mpg fleet average now?