Fuel efficiency largely depends on how a truck is initially designed. It’s cost effective to invest in the right truck base instead of trying to make an ineffective truck work for you by constantly investing in components. Also, consideration should include the drive and duty cycles. There is a difference between the two. Drive cycle is basically how the truck will be used whereas duty cycle is how much the truck will be used. There are multiple techniques and technologies that can help obtain metrics for these to help you make a purchase decision while keeping fuel efficiency in mind.
Once you select the proper truck base, consider the various engine options carefully. Find the sweet spot between power and efficiency as these two are the main variables in your engine decision process. Once you select the type of engine, you can spend time optimizing other aspects for additional fuel efficiency.
Weight is another big one. Again, there’s usually a power and efficiency trade-off with weight and always keep your payload weight in mind when factoring weight.
When it comes to add-ons, try to limit them to things that will benefit your efficiency while not sacrificing the job that needs to be done. Aerodynamic add-ons are a great example of this.
Other factors which can influence fuel economy include high-efficiency transmissions, low-resistance tires, synthetic lubricants and low-drag brake systems.
Regardless of how one approaches fuel efficiency, there’s a lot to consider and important to know when making your purchasing decisions.
Shane Petersen
Truck/Fleet Sales
509- 710-2106
