Fuel Economy Tips

 

  Guest Columnist

 

  Glen Sokolis

 

  President

  Sokolis Group

 

 

When it comes to fuel economy many companies may not know where to start. Newer hybrid fleet vehicles may initially be too costly. Fuel economy can be a fairly simple task for any company; one just has to know what to look for. Below are a few very important tips that will improve the efficiency of fuel for any vehicle.

 

Routine maintenance or preventative maintenance can greatly impact the way a vehicle runs. Each truck should be serviced according to the recommended intervals from the manufacture. This will catch any future problems and keep the vehicle running at top condition, reducing the strain on the engine when hauling. The preventative maintenance would include checks on tire pressure, brake checks, tire alignment and balance and vehicle diagnostic. Also, check for algae growth in the fuel tanks and lines that will clog and prevent fuel from flowing properly. Keeping it like new will make it run like new.

 

Reduce idling, as simple as that sounds it is so true. An idling vehicle will waste up to one gallon of fuel for every total hour. That includes warm up time, of which is unavoidable in some colder areas. A driver may make 10 stops in a day and if the truck idles 6 min at each stop, right there is almost a gallon of fuel gone. Idling could also be avoided by having electronic logs that will monitor the time a truck idles and the problem can be assessed and prevented for future trips.

 

Driver training is also one major way to get in step with fuel economy. A driver that is rough when shifting gears or drive at excessive speeds are impacting the effectiveness of all your hard thought efforts for efficiency. Simply driving the recommended and posted speed limit will help with the process. When the operator of the truck understands his actions on the road will affect the cost of fuel and thus the bottom line, driving at sensible speeds may not seem like a bad idea.

 

Fuel management is also a way to control with fuel economy. Fuel management will be sure that drivers fill up at proper locations to optimize their routes, or even set up on site fueling. Coordinating better discount prices to for fleet fuel cards too. Fuel management would also help with assessing which, if any, fuel additives would be needed and again be there to help negotiate those prices.

 

In the end fuel economy is a careful blend of the above, and when utilized at their best the savings could be great.

 

Glen Sokolis, President of the Sokolis Group, has over 20 years of fuel management experience working as both a buyer and seller of diesel fuel and gasoline. He has successfully help hundreds of companies procure billions gallon of fuel over his career.  Over the years many organizations have asked Glen to be a special guest speaker, writer or panel expert.  He has led his company to be a leader in helping companies outsource their fuel program to his company.  He can be reached at gsokolis@sokolisgroup.com or visit www.sokolisgroup.com for more information.

Comments

[Mike Buck]

Glen,
Very good summation on the basics of fuel economy. Here are a couple of additional fundamentals to follow:
• Use cruise control whenever road and traffic conditions permit.
• Using the engine brake in the proper situation rather than the service brake.
• Always use progressive shifting techniques.
• Keep top-governed speed below 65MPH.
• Downshift at the proper RPM.
• Do Not permit drivers to operate equipment when anger/upset.
• Tires are inflated to the proper pressure. (Tires lose 2 to 4 psi per month.)
• Keep 5th. wheel as far forward as weight requirements will permit.
• Ensure both tractor and trailer are both properly aligned.
• Ensure air leaks are repaired to prevent unnecessary compressor cycling.
• Ensure the manufacturer aerodynamics are not compromised by items such as bug defectors.
• Fuel tanks are secured with either locking caps or anti-siphoning tubes.
To expound upon your driver training suggestion, the driver can have the greatest impact (35%) on fuel economy. Today’s engines have been redesigned to meet current EPA emission standards and require to be operated accordingly