CCJ

November 2014

Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal

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48 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2014 O ne bright spot in today's tumultuous trucking industry has to be the unprecedented gains in fuel economy made by modern, highly effi cient trucks and tractors. Not long ago, a long-haul tractor log- ging 6 miles per gallon was considered heady stuff. Today, forward-thinking fl eets routinely see 8 mpg on long runs, with cutting-edge fuel economy gurus such as Las Cruces, N.M.-based Mesilla Valley Transportation pushing the envelope out past 10 mpg. Owner-operator Henry Albert, a former Overdrive Trucker of the Year, con- siders 10 mpg "average" and is working actively toward a goal of a 12-mpg run on a full tank of fuel. Not every fl eet can devote the resources or has the intensely-focused drivers required to consistently log 11- or 12-mpg runs. But the news is about to get better for fuel-focused fl eets: The upcoming greenhouse gas emissions regulations that take effect in 2017 are also fuel economy standards for heavy-duty trucks. While actual performance fi gures cur- rently remain closely guarded OEM secrets, it's safe to assume that new model trucks will offer substantial leaps forward in terms of both powertrain and aerodynamic advances that will boost fuel economy performance for fl eets nationwide. We asked readers to rate their top fuel- saving technologies. The results showed that aerodynamics are sweeping trucking. BY JACK ROBERTS 1 2 New model trucks will off er substantial leaps forward in terms of both powertrain and aerodynamic advances that will boost fuel economy performance.

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