MPG

Ripper, I own and drive a truck, have thought about this the whole dang time. For me, running faster does get you there quicker, right? That's fine if the consignee isn't using hard appointments where you wind up waiting for however many hours you show up early. If you're D/H, pretty much any time, but.....

And running fast for more loads is only reasonable if you actually have those loads sitting there waiting for you. Running fast and sitting at a truck stop waiting is not that productive.

"Going slower runs more wear and tear because it takes longer to get there?" I don't agree with that. Running slower reduces the loads on your rings and bearings, other internal parts, so over all it's more cost effective, not just fuel savings.

If you have to run faster to make a timeframe, run faster, don't count the dollars.

I've been having DPF filter clogging problems, so the Svc Mgr at the shop I prefer, and I, agreed that running faster might help with the soot accumulation in the filter. So I did, dropped my fuel usage about .6mpg. Doesn't sound like much, but it's 10% or so, and that's a big number in the course of a year. That's right on the $10 - $13K you came up with. I usually run about 62-64, depending on conditions: weight of cargo, type of road/mountains, wind and weather, all that stuff. My DD60 14L has an annual average of 7.4mpg, which is acceptable in my world.

Didn't help, either.

 

Not necessarily.

IF you can meet ALL your appointments and have the SAME revenue running at 62 mph as you would have running at 70 mph, then and only then are you absolutely correct. If you run out of hours running high dollar loads that expect you to run at or close to the speed limit, then you will fail.

Let's assume I chose to concentrate on fuel savings and run 62 mph, instead of running with cruise control at 70 mph when legal (with the occasional throttle boost to add safety by getting clear of clusters on freeways and highways). In THAT case I would have lost an additional $2150 in revenue this week and had to take a 34 out on the road. All THAT to save a couple hundred bucks in fuel?

No thanks.

Instead I am running on recaps starting tomorrow, may never need to take a 34, and continue to serve our customers.

Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. A profit and loss statement always begins with revenue/sales minus cost of revenue/sales. You WANT the Gross Profit to be large. Concentrating on running slow and saving fuel ONLY applies if you have PLENTY of time to get to an appointment. What if it is a drop and hook at a 24/7 facility? Or an oil rig desperate for that computerized drill motor? Running slow can cause you to miss opportunities later and REALLY piss off your customers.

A few months ago I picked up a load in Minot, ND. Based on my Rand McNally GPS I told the customer I could meet their 1:00 pm Saturday deadline for delivery in West Virginia. At 6:45 am the shipping and receiving manager drove up to the locked gate as I was folding my tarps and stowing my straps.

He got out and looked at the pallets and fracking equipment on my deck, and it dawned on him where the load came from. He looked at me and said, "You don't #### around, do you?"

That's a high compliment.

That load, along with many other "beat the customer expectations deliveries", is why that account has asked my company to put my brother and I on a dedicated run for them. There's no excuses for blizzards or wind. We run. We run safely, but we run.

We DON'T run at 62 mph.

Fuel is a TINY fraction of our total revenue. Concentrate more on building revenue and delivering excellent service.

For those readers that are leased on with fixed rates per mile below $1.70, concentrate on driving slow and saving fuel.

 

Going slower doesn't outweigh the longer run time. So you're really not saving wear and tear. Your costing. 1 hour. 2 hours. 5 hours. Depends on your trip and region.

To me. 10 mph slower is an extra hour added to my work day. 5 extra hours for the week. I get paid by the load. Not the mile or hour. I have no desire to spend an extra hour a day at work.

Pulling light loads however. Would be a saving to wear and tear.

The only way your idea would have a chance at reality. Would be the flatland.

A higher horsepower engine would also have less wear. It can climb the mountains faster.

One truck I drove when I first came back on the road. Was a d60 400 horses. Took 14 1/2 from tremonton ut to Albuquerque. The next truck i had was a isx 475. 12 1/2 hours for the trip. Both trucks governed at 68. I would hate to slow my butt down in that 400 horse engine. It was a dog as it was. The mountains really sucked.

As mentioned already. If you have nothing lined up. By all means. Take your sweet time.

As for me. I had loads to haul. And i had no desire to be spending the night anywhere. But on my way home or already home.

Specially with the last company going mostly California. no way in heck was I spending the weekend in that crap state. I'm going home.

 

I would gladly sacrifice the $20 $30 dollars in fuel a day to keep from staring down the barrel of a 45 all day at 58 to 62mph.. the 1 to 2hr less work time at 68 70 mph for the day is worth that much. Think some of you guys aren't putting your time into your calculations..

 

Well they get it in there head because fuel is the biggest expense that savings there is the key to success.

 

Maybe they're listening to those KR audio books while they're working.

I liked the extra hour or 2 of sleep every night. By not driving slower.

 

NO you're not saving 10k a year. You're LOSING 42k a year,.
You want to make money but you're not willing to get there at a decent time to earn it.