November 2, 2016 Vol. 13 No. 22

Amidst all the talk of progressively wilder technologies, there’s one fundamental subject that still comes first: fuel economy and how to maximize it.

So let’s start this newsletter with an interesting report on that challenge published a week or so ago by ATRI, otherwise known as the American Transportation Research Institute (a branch of the American Trucking Associations). Named The Survey of Fuel Economy and Fuel Usage by Heavy-Duty Truck Fleets, it was based on a survey of truck operators done by UMTRI, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. ExxonMobil was the chief sponsor.

Some 96 fleet managers were asked to offer their views on trends in fuel-saving technologies. Collectively, they operate more than 114,500 tractors and 350,000 trailers.

Aluminum wheels, speed limiters, and low-rolling-resistance tires were the most common fuel-saving components used on tractors, while trailers were most likely to be equipped with those same wheels and tires plus other weight-saving options.

The study contained no surprises as far as I can see but it did illuminate an important reality of the trucking business: namely, what works for one fleet doing one kind of hauling won’t necessarily work for another outfit doing something different.

That’s a pretty fair example of stating the obvious but you’d do well to remember it next time you’re listening to somebody claim their gizmology will save you 10% on your fuel bill. Maybe it works that well on the prairies, for example, but how about the hilly bits of Quebec?

That’s still painfully obvious, but the point is that these days more than ever, with so many fuel-saving promises smacking you in the face, you need to put a critical-thinking cap on your noggin before you make potentially expensive spec’ing decisions. Accept nothing at face value. Ask questions. And then ask some more.

THE ATRI/UMTRI STUDY offers a perfect example of this truth. In one graphic (Figure ES-3 if you’ve got the document — download it here) you’ll see a summary of the fuel-saving technologies that offered the best return on their investment, according to fleet respondents.

In order, they are: aerodynamic treatments (18.8%); idle-reduction technologies or strategies (15.6%); and automated manual or automatic transmissions (13.5%).