Safe ways to save truck fuel

Economia de Combustivel robustec

Fuel accounts for almost half the cost of operating the truck. With the steady increases in the price of diesel and gasoline, saving on fuel consumption can make a significant difference in budget.

Many factors can influence the performance of a vehicle and its fuel consumption, be it the driver’s driving style, tire calibration, over-load, axle alignment, whether air deflectors are used or not, and the type of tires that are being used.

Research by the National Confederation of Transport (CNT) points out that the training of drivers and the adoption of good practices reflect the reduction of fuel consumption by up to 12%.

Do you already know how these factors can impact the consumption of your truck? Here are some of the best practices to save fuel.

Maintain optimum speed

Try to find the ideal average speed for your vehicle and try to keep it constant. It is directly related to the proportion of load you carry. The higher the volume, weight and height, the lower the recommended average speed.

Vehicles have an optimum rate of fuel consumption between 40 and 70km/h, but above that speed they start to spend more. After 88 km/h, the consumption grows a lot, on average 1% for every 1km/h more. Therefore, if you raise the speed to 100km/h, you need to spend 12% more fuel to cover the same distance.

Calibrate the tires correctly

Rotation with poorly calibrated tires can affect the performance of your vehicle and cause the engine to work harder, increasing fuel consumption.

Withered tires stick closer to the ground and make the truck ride almost as if it was lightly braking. The consequence of this is that the engine needs to work harder to move the vehicle and consumption increases by 20% and 25%. So, make sure that your tires are always properly calibrated.

Have a network of reliable gas stations

Choose stations that offer good quality fuels. Seek to develop strategic contacts and select a group of trusted partners that inspire confidence in the provenience and quality of the fuel and that offer affordable prices.

Also, try to buy large volumes of fuel all at once, so you can negotiate prices and payment terms more easily.

Do not exceed the vehicle load

In addition to being an illegal and dangerous practice, excess weight in vehicles also requires the engine to work harder, thereby increasing fuel consumption. The relationship is simple and straightforward: loading a heavier load requires more engine power and increases fuel consumption.

According to the US Department of Energy Efficiency, every 40 extra pounds impact on a 2% increase in fuel consumption.

Shift gears correctly

Shifting gears at the right time helps prevent unnecessary acceleration or loss of vehicle speed. Also, this is a safety issue mandatory for your team.

Using the idle for too long causes unnecessary wear on the engine and raises fuel consumption. The ideal is to change the gears at the right time. When cruising speed is reached, keep the engine turning at the recommended point.

Download data from your truck’s engine to tailor your shift behavior to the optimum RPM torque bands. Every 1000 rpm reduction in engine speed represents a 1% gain in fuel economy.

In addition, choosing the proper gear to rotate the engine at the time of a climb can reduce fuel consumption by up to 30%

Maintain periodic maintenance

The maintenance helps to find certain problems in advance and thus perform the repair before they develop and lead to greater losses. Besides, they can reduce fuel consumption because some parts – such as the air and fuel filter – increase fuel consumption when they are not working properly.

Try to follow the truck manufacturer’s maintenance suggestions. With them, it is possible to foresee the necessity of maintenance, eliminating the concern with workshops, parts and repairs in the vehicles and still reduce about 4% the cost per kilometer rolled.

In addition, do not forget to change the air and fuel filters on time and to balance and align the vehicle every 15,000 kilometers.

Do not drive in neutral

Although some drivers believe that this practice helps to save fuel, driving neutral may, on the contrary, increase their consumption. This is because the disengaged vehicle is idling, wasting more fuel.

With the gear engaged, the consumption is much lower, because the weight of the truck itself causes the fuel system cut itself. Moreover, with the vehicle disengaged, the transmission box no longer receives proper lubrication and may suffer future damage.

Use air deflectors

When well used, air deflectors favor the aerodynamics of the vehicle and decrease the resistance imposed by the air, especially on the road.

Studies show that the use of air deflectors enables a 36% reduction in aerodynamic drag and also in fuel consumption, ranging from 33% to 35% for total loads of 10-20 tons.

Without the component, air crashes into the wall formed by the front of the trunk, which makes the truck need more power to break the resistance and waste more fuel.

These and other factors directly influence the fuel usage of your truck. Therefore, pay attention to these recommendations and get maximum savings and profitability in your business.

Know  Robustec road solutions and implements

Robustec has transport solutions that offer safety and optimize performance in a wide range of applications. With its own engineering and development sector, the company develops custom solutions for its customers in the road and agricultural sectors, such as dump bodies, buckets, roll on roll off boxes, straps, ratchets and load tie down accessories, parking jacks  and load lift slings.

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