LIGHT VS HEAVY LOAD AND FUEL MILEAGE
 

Has anyone computed fuel mileage on same truck, on same route, once hauling light, say 22000lbs, then hauling heavy, say 44000lbs. I know there is a savings I just dont know and havent computed the savings. I hope someone can save me some time.

i do it almost every trip, i deadheaded 151 miles from greensboro NC to Covington VA took NC68 to 220N right into covington, avgd 7.2 mpg hauled 42300 paper load same route back to gboro and avgd 5.9

Well i can contribute to this post by posting some money figures as well.

When i run out of Charlotte, N.C. i 99% of the time go straight to Chicago( HYW 74/40/75/74/65/80-90 ). Ill stop and fuel in Gary,I.N. at that Flyin-J since i start out full from Charlotte(or near full).....diffrence between the lighter load(25 to even 35000) and those thay weigh more like bricks or whatnot is about 130$. Thats as close i got to understanding how a heavy load acctualy affects the buttom line so i try and stay away as much as i can. When booking a load a carefully examine where its going, how heavy it is and make my decision accordingly, sometimes it pays good but when computing the numbers it can acctualy hurt more that help..

It depends on terrain you run. In a mountains, it will be around 1mpg difference, on a flat, just about 0.3mpg.

Solo it is definitely more then that. Problem is, even every trailer is a bit different. But back in my 'run' days going from winnipeg to minneapolis, I paid a lot of attention to fuel mileage. A full load was easily 1 mpg less then a light load.

Wind alone can make more difference to fuel mileage than weight. I remember getting 8 mpg one way, then 6 mpg the other way.

Detroit to Newark 1 mpg difference between 15k and 40k

Yes, i agree. But i was talking on the all other things, being equal.
Or at least, it's how it's in my experience. :roll:

Thanks for the replies. I am thinking about targeting some shippers with foam and insulation loads and would like to get away from hauling 44-50K of steel and sticks. 1 mpg fuel savings is good enough for me if I can get the shippers to pay a decent rate and fsc. Thanks again.

My 2001 Peterbilt with a 500 Cat and a 13spd (if that matters) would get 7+ mpg at 75 mph while hauling 12,000 and under pound loads. The same truck would get less than 5 mpg hauling 40k loads at the same speed, slowing it down to 64mph would keep me at a 6mpg average with those heavy loads. This was running from CA to VA via 80 each week.

Hope this helps ya.

5.6 in a w900 doing 75 and always close to the limit, I get around 7 when i`m running empty.

What type of gears are you running, Brian?

3.36 and tall rubber

There are a lot of factors to consider- someone elses numbers aren't going to match yours. What engine you have, your rears, what type of trailer, tire wear. It all factors in.

We haul the same trailer and we hardly ever notice ANY change in fuel mileage. Okay, okay. If we're empty vs running 80,000 or more, there's a difference. Of course.

But we don't notice more than a few .s when we're running slow vs fast vs light vs heavy. But that's us.

2002 International 9900, C15 Cat 475HP, 13spd. Pulling a lowboy with a Cat 320 excavator 6.2mpg. Same truck and same route this time with a Cat 345 excavator 4.5 to maybe 4.8mpg.

Next question: What is the lightest cheapest load you would consider hauling if you had already decided to deadhead home? Lets assume the load was a partial going your way, easy on, easy off.

I'd have a hard time letting myself do it for less than $2.00 a mile just on principle. I suppose I woud do it for $1.75 if it was zero miles out of route. We deadhead 450 miles home alot.

Basically I'm looking for $800-$1200 for the hassle (it's always at least another day added to the trip). Last week I screwed up and was 3 days. :oops: This is no tarps and only 100 miles or so over and above my deadhead miles.

$1.60/mi, and if i was rrreeeaaallly desperate and it would fit in a van and went RIGHT by the house

1.80 a mile, if I cant make a buck a mile i`ll quit again and run my wifes heavy hauling outfit.

well put it this way, if you get 6 mpg loaded and 6.9 empty (average) at $2.25/gal in a year it would make for 1,515 gals or $3,409.00 difference between loaded and light or empty.... based on 50% loaded heavy and loaded light, same route. Like my route, I run loaded one way empty on return. And I make 2.85/ loaded mile

Fuel Mileage
 

I have a fuel saving product that can help. It's called Ethos Fr (Fuel Re-Formulator). Without getting into a longwinded pitch I'll just say 1 ounce treats 10 gallons of fuel and you will see savings of at least 10-15% on average. It's been around for 10 years but they just started really marketing it since April of this year. I've got plenty of testamonials if anyone would like. Here's my info
Bill Grover 585-880-4423 [email protected]
www.Ethosfr4u.com. It costs $0.78 to $1.21 / oz (depending upon quantity) but will save 3 times that in fuel economy.

Re: Fuel Mileage
 

Have you run this in any of your equipment?

Fuel Mileage
 

I'm not a trucker but I have plenty of test results. I just completed a test with a school bus company in Rochester, NY. The bus was a GMC G-30 6.5l diesel. The mileage went from 8.96 mpg (3 tank avg.) to 10.48 mpg (6 tank avg) after using 1 ounce per 10 gallons. That is a 16.(% increase! I can email you the actual results if you like. My email is [email protected]. The one big testamonial comes from Allied Pacific Waste, the 2nd largest trash hauler in the country. They have used it fleet-wide for over 6 years and the president of the company estimates that they have saved $32 million in fuel. I can send you that as well.
As for myself, I drive a 95 Chevy lumina w/ 100k. I was getting 19 -20 mpg and now get 22. Basically 40-60 extra miles for 15 gallons depending upon my driving. It really works. The big thing for diesel drivers is that it adds the lubricity to the fuel that Ultra Low Sulfer Deisel has removed. It has proven to increase the life of the fuel seals and injectors. It is non-toxic , non-hazardous and plant based, not petroleum based. It also saves 2 to 3 times in fuel cost than what it costs. Sorry for this commercial but I'm a big believer.

Bill check your email/PM. I'm interested in the snake oil :D :D :D :D

My dad used to sell a product similar to this in the 70's during the gas "shortage".

I am not sure where they got the poor mileage 6.5 duramax..... mine has never been below 16.7 mpg pulling either my 40' stock trailer or towing my drag car, just driving it like a car it is always near 22 or 23 mpg. And this is including going over Eisenhower Pass on the way to Vegas. I myself am very leery of gimmick "fuel savers" I know someone that sells something similar and he does not use it himself... hmmm. Maybe they work.... most likely they don't.

Happy thanks giving everyone
 

Load It, Did you grt the info that I emailed to you?

A bus is differnt than a pickup.

Fuel Savings
 

This is a testamonial some of you may be interested in.
Does Ethos FR work?

This is the very most important question to ask, for if it doesn’t, nothing else matters. Jerry Schnitzius, General Manager of the San Diego area operation of Allied Waste Services came to the meeting and told us of his company’s experience with Ethos FR. Being a trained mechanic, he said there is no such thing as "a miracle in a can," and it wasn’t until Enrique De Vilmorin’s 7th visit that he consented to allow Enrique to put some of that stuff in one of his trucks. And when he finally did, he made him put it in an old truck that was about ready to go to the junkyard. Ethos FR immediately reduced the opacity (blackness of exhaust smoke) from 80 to 20. Opacity is one of the most important tests on diesel engines in California. Still not convinced, they tested it on more trucks for six months (totally at Ethos FR’s expense) before giving the go ahead to put it in all trucks within Jerry’s operations. Since 2000, the average opacity for the entire fleet, is approximately 10, they won the Earth-Day award in the community for reducing pollution and harmful emissions by 500 tons per year.

Most importantly, to a huge publicly traded company, they have saved $34 million in fuel consumption in 6 years. The employees now use Ethos in their personal vehicles and Jerry said, "If it doesn’t work, it’s because you don’t use it." They put Ethos FR in the fuel, crankcases and transmissions of all their trucks. The decision has been made to use Ethos FR by Allied in Texas and soon across the nation by all Allied operations.

Allied Waste Services the second largest waste management company in the U.S. and is currently burning about 2 million gallons of fuel per day. Do you honestly believe they would continue spending millions of dollars per year for a product that doesn’t work?

Re: Fuel Mileage
 

are you also selling oceanfront property in arizona?

For the record, the 6.5 Liter Turbo Diesel, is NOT the same thing as the Duramax Diesel.

What is your knowledge or opinions regarding the overall wear and tear and basic running and repair and replacement costs, say for like 150,000 miles with a 12,000 lb load vs a 42,000 lb load. Of course all other things being the same.