A guide to keeping your truck fuel efficient
Simply buying a truck that boasts a great engine and improved driveline is not enough to guarantee a fuel-efficient operation. While some vehicles are offering class-leading specs and Euro 6 compatibility – such as the excellent new DAF LF – there are countless things you can do behind the wheel, between jobs, and with upgrades to ensure that you get the best bang for your buck between trips to the fuel pump.
Here, we break our top tips down into three important sections, with easy-to-print takeaways that could have a serious impact on your day-to-day job, or even a huge fleet.
Better driving habits
- Keep acceleration smooth: Too slow and you’ll use more fuel, too quick and you’ll hurt the engine. Try to shift to higher gears rapidly as you pick up the pace, then maintain a speed for the best fuel efficiency.
- Keep idling to a minimum: This can’t be avoided in traffic, but if you idle when parked, think twice – big trucks can use multiple litres of fuel every hour with just the engine turned on!
- Consider your speed: If it makes no odds to go at 50mph instead of 55mph, opt for the slower speed – you could save over a fifth in fuel.
- Treat air-con as a luxury: Air conditioning is a great thing to have on hot days, but it uses fuel. At lower speeds, wind down your windows. At higher speeds, this can cause drag, so revert to air-con.
- Hard braking is bad for efficiency: Not only is hard braking bad for your engine, but anticipating a slower speed ahead will reduce the need to build speed and momentum once more – and reduce gear changes. Turn Off the Air Con
Improved practices and maintenance
- Plan routes and travel times better: If you can anticipate traffic peaks and locations, you can avoid idling engines and keep momentum going – and naturally get jobs done quicker.
- Keep an eye on the weather: Wet and windy weather not only affects aerodynamics and the ability to maintain a proper speed, but it also results in traffic – so if there’s a downpour you don’t need to face, think twice about driving.
- Make your load work to your advantage: The load you carry affects your vehicle’s aerodynamics, so always try to keep it as close as possible to the cabin as possible. If you’re driving a flatbed, also try to keep it low.
- Don’t forget oil, water and tyre pressure: Make a habit of regularly checking these three key parts of your vehicle. The tyres are especially important, as low pressure can drop fuel efficiency by a few percent.
- Get rid of old air filters: Replacing these could lower fuel costs by 10%, and hugely improve the smoothness of acceleration.
Upgrades and better tech
- MPG meter: Much more than the one you have built into your dash, professional MPG meters are great at analysing fuel use at times of the day, on certain roads, and from driver to driver.
- Sat-nav: This is more of a standard than an extra for most drivers these days, but sat-navs are now great at analysing the most fuel-efficient routes, and can spot traffic as it develops.
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Representative Finance Example
Cash Price
£13194.00
Deposit
£2199.00
1st Monthly Payment
£240.56
58 Monthly Payment
£240.56
Final Monthly Payment
£250.250.56
Amount of Credit
£10995.00
Total Amount Payable
£16642.60
Total Charge for Credit
£10995.00
Fixed Interest per Annum
6.25
Duration
60 Months
