Truck efficiency solutions

IV. Real-world examples

The following examples are based on long-haul trucks traveling 100,000 miles per year, averaging 5.5 mpg, and cost of diesel fuel at $3 per gallon.

EXAMPLE 1: Single wide or wide base tires | More info

Fuel economy improvement	5 percent
Fuel savings per year	910 gallons	$2,700
Retrofit cost	Rim retrofit, $1,400 per axle
Tire cost	One wide base tire = 2 conventional tires
Payback	less than 2 years

Note: New trucks can be purchased from the factory with wide base rims for instant savings.

EXAMPLE 2: Idle reduction | More info

Fuel economy improvement: 8 percent for trucks in which driver sleeps in the vehicle (assumes 1,000 hours per year of idling, or 125 nights at 8 hours; actual idling can vary from 250 to 2,500 hours)

Overnight cab comfort with engine idling, 1,000 hours	1,000 gallons	$3,000
Overnight cab comfort with an idle reduction device, 1,000 hours	100 gallons	$300
Savings per 1,000 hours	900 gallons	$2,700
One-time cost to install idle reduction device	$2,000 to $10,000, depending on device and vehicle.

EXAMPLE 3: Improved aerodynamics with trailer side skirts
More info

Fuel economy improvement	5 percent
Fuel savings per year	910 gallons	$2,700
Retrofit cost	Rim retrofit, $1,400 per axle
Tire cost	One wide base tire = 2 conventional tires
Payback	less than 2 years

EXAMPLE 4: Boost fuel economy by 30%

 

New York City Sanitation Department
tests 7 diesel-electric hybrid refuse trucks

This diesel-electric refuse collector built by Crane Carrier is one of seven hybrids that will be tested by the New York City Department of Sanitation.
Photo courtesy New York Department of Sanitation

New York Times, Nov. 27, 2009
Which New Hybrid Has 10 Wheels and Flies?
By Ken Belson

"It sounded like a garbage truck and smelled like one, too. Aside from the giant pastoral scene on its side, it even looked like a standard-issue New York City garbage truck.
"But the 36-ton refuse collector that rumbled out of the Department of Sanitation’s Central Repair Shop in Queens earlier this month with a reporter on board was equipped with a diesel-electric powertrain, one of just a handful of hybrid garbage trucks being tested around the country."

New York Times, Nov. 26, 2009
Package Tour: Driving a FedEx Hybrid
By Ken Belson

Reporter Ken Belson takes spin behind the wheel of a Freightliner W700, which can carry up to 6,000 pounds of cargo.