Truck efficiency solutions

This 18 wheeler is actually a 10 wheeler! A single modern "wide base tire" replaces each set of dual tires. Wide base tires improve the truck's fuel economy and reduces its weight, allowing more pounds of freight to be moved with less fuel.

Tractor specs

Single drive axle plus tag axle: Most trucks are over-built with two drive axles. This truck is built for its job, which is highway travel, not logging roads. It has one drive axle and one "tag axle," which carries weight but isn't needed to propel the truck. This combination eliminates the need for center and rear differentials, which can weigh up to 1,000 pounds. It also eliminates the friction losses from the differential gears and drive shafts, which waste fuel.

Tractor engine: A properly sized engine provides the horsepower you need (around 400 hp) and maximizes fuel efficiency.

Example truck: Mesilla Valley Transport of Las Cruces, N.M., operates a fleet of 800 trucks just like this one. The MVT fleet average is more than 8 mpg, compared to the U.S. average of 6.2 mpg, as estimated by the Department of Energy. Since many long-haul trucks travel 120,000 miles or more per year, the savings in an efficient truck set-up like this can be $10,000 or more per year.