How to Keep Costs Down in Your Trucking Company
No matter what you transport, and whether you do it locally, regionally, or nationally, owning a trucking company can be a lucrative experience — but only if you know how to keep fuel costs down. Before you send your drivers out with their next haul, make sure they’re following these procedures to save money on fuel and for your bottom line.
Check the Tires
This should be done before every trip for safety reasons anyway but be doubly sure that your drivers are checking their truck’s tires. In addition to ensuring the safety of everyone on the road, the correct tire pressure provides better fuel economy and keeps your trucks’ tires on the road longer.
Use Synthetic Oil
When the weather turns colder, conventional oil becomes thicker and causes your trucks to use more fuel to operate. Create better fuel efficiency by using synthetic oil in your rigs. It won’t thicken as much, if at all, so will provide better fuel mileage.
Pay Attention While You Pump
It’s all too easy to start a conversation while you wait for your trucking company’s vehicles to fill up before a long haul but getting too into talking at the tank can lead to overfilling it. Spilled fuel is wasted money, and perhaps even more importantly, it’s a potential danger. Save the conversation for later so that you can pay close attention as you fill the tank.
Avoid Idling
Idling is bound to occur sometimes but avoid it as much as you possibly can. Leaving the truck running without doing any actual work is simply letting fuel out into the air for no reason. In fact, it wastes about one gallon per hour, which quickly adds up.
Follow the Speed Limit
There are plenty of reasons to follow the speed limit. Being pulled over by law enforcement while you’re in an 18-wheeler is quite the task (and attention-getter), not to mention the fact that speeding puts everyone on the road in danger. Outside of safety and legal concerns, though, speeding also causes you to use fuel faster than necessary.
Pay Attention to Traffic Patterns
Finally, be sure that you are paying close attention to traffic patterns as you drive. If you can, avoid high-traffic areas or roads with many traffic lights, as the constant shifting of gears can cause your truck to use more fuel than is necessary. Stick to highway and drive during off-hours whenever possible.
Fuel consumption is easily one of the biggest expenses for a trucking company. By keeping these tips in mind, you are likely to see a decrease in consumption and an increase in profits.
