Fuel causes huge dents in the pockets of truck drivers and/or owners. Every extra gallon you can squeeze out of a truck will go a long way towards saving money over the long haul, which can then be used for your truck repairs. There are some simple tips and guidelines you can follow that will give you a noticeable change in your mileage, allowing you to go further on one tank and refuel less often.
- Tires
- Keeping you get a proper truck alignment to keep the tires straight will save your truck on average of 3%. It may seem simple, but the results are huge.
- Make sure to constantly check your tire pressure. If they are uneven or inflated wrong, it will cause your truck to work harder to keep moving, and that may mean a costly trip to the pump.
- Idling
- Having your truck sit on idle will waste unnecessary fuel – and more than you think. If you plan on being longer than 10 or 15 minutes before getting back on the road, turn it off and conserve. Look into an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) in order to run power to your cab (such as TV and other equipment) without needing to crank the main engine.
- Driving Habits
- Poor driving habits are one of the biggest issues when analyzing drivers who complain of low mileage rates. The faster you drive, the more fuel you are spending. The difference between 70 and 75 is large enough to cause a decrease of up to 1 mile per gallon. Think about that over a 2,000 mile drive: over 22 gallons in fuel wasted, and only an hour or two in time saved. Also avoid completely flooring the gas pedal, as aggressive acceleration will use huge amounts of fuel while taking you zero miles further.