Part 2
To be sure, there are approximate gearing recommendations to ensure optimal fuel efficiency in heavy duty trucking fleets. In a line haul operation, assuming a load of 80,000 lbs or less during highway driving, approximately 1500 RPMs at 65 mph would optimize fuel economy for the fleet manager with an eye on the bottom-line.
As seen in Part 1 of this post, for a heavy-duty rig to reach higher speeds in much less time, a driver would have to be operating in a less-efficient lower gear, higher RPM range.... thereby wasting fuel and also shortening the shelf-life of the engine.
Below you’ll see the two GPS tracking & fleet management tools that The ComTrac™ Total Tracking Solution offers to combat the issue of excessive speeds, and their negative impact on overall fuel efficiency. The first image is a screenshot of the ComTrac’s™ OverSpeed Report. A trucking fleet manager can, on a daily basis (or more frequently if necessary), either view online or have a comprehensive report emailed detailing occurances of their drivers exceeding a predetermined speed threshold.
The second screenshot image that you see is of, in my humble opinion, the most effective fleetwide speed, safety, and fuel management tool that’s deployed in even the of-the-shelf, turnkey verson of the ComTrac™….the OverSpeed Alert. Using this powerful tool, a truck fleet manager can designate what they consider to be overspeeding, and if that threshold is exceeded by their driver, be immediately notified by email and/or text message of the occurance thru the ComTrac’s™ Alert Notification Editor. If properly utilized, the OverSpeed Alert puts the fleet manager in a position of being proactive instead of reactive….giving the ability to ensure immediate compliance NOW, not a few days from now when the rig is back at the terminal. Especially in today’s economic environment, this kind of competitive advantage can mean the difference in achieving ones’ business objectives or succumbing to the pressures of the ultra-competitive marketplace that fleet trucking managers live in on a daily basis. The ComTrac’s™ powerful system of alert notifications tells a fleet manager exactly what’s happening right now this very moment…not what happened yesterday or the day before.
The ability to react to an overspeed occurance as it happens cannot be overstated. If speeding is a fleetwide issue for management, it can quickly grow to have a negative impact in many other areas of the business as well.
Another factor to take into account, and one that is often times overlooked during the course of an effective training program, is the importance of cruise control. Many better performing and more experienced fleet truck drivers utilize cruise control to maintain the “sweet spot speed” of their rig, with improved fuel efficiency being an almost immediate byproduct. Training your drivers to plan ahead and avoid rapid braking or significant changes in speed also contributes to the overall fuel efficiency of your trucking fleet.
Part III Coming Soon
