Trucking Into the 21st Century and Efficiency

Before I get into this, I should note two things for you: I used to be a long-haul/OTR trucker hauling mainly produce and my truck got 6mpg on a really good day, downhill, with the wind behind me when fully loaded (the pic to the left was my rig). My last year of driving was in 2007 and I left the road entirely early in 2008.

Today, most trucks get about 6.5mpg, can weigh up to 80,000 pounds fully loaded, and so they usually get about 130 ton miles per gallon (130t-mpg). That t-mpg number is what most industry experts use to measure fleet efficiency, as it's a better indicator of how well they're doing overall. A truck's individual miles per gallon can change dramatically depending on the load it is hauling.

For instance, my truck was a 2006 Kenworth T800 with a 10-speed Eaton Fuller transmission. When driving a full load in the reefer trailer, I would have around 44,000 pounds of freight to put my truck very close to 80,000 total pounds (the legal DOT haul limit). With that, I would average 5.6mpg.

On another day, I might have that same setup, but with only 17,000 pounds of freight in the trailer. This would jump my miles per gallon close to seven (6.8 or better).

By the same token, my overall t-mpg number was roughly the same, since the tonnage being hauled was also factored into those numbers.

The DoT, Fuel Costs, and The New Industry
2008 was an ugly year for the trucking industry. Fuel prices fluctuated wildly in the early part of the year after 2007's ultra-high prices had already squeezed the industry. Owner-operators and small fleets took it hardest, with 2,500 of them going bankrupt in 2008 alone.

Meanwhile, Class 8 (meaning "big rig") truck sales dropped to a 17-year low despite new regulations that would soon force many trucks off the road for not meeting efficiency standards.

The EPA estimates that 6% of the nation's CO2 is emitted by the stacks of big rig trucks, though this may be wrong now that 2009 efficiency standards are in effect and the upcoming 2012 standards will be even more stringent. Despite only a 6.5mpg average, when measured in t-mpg, even the worst big rigs are more efficient than the average compact car.

Raising Efficiency
No matter how hard you want to try to hug your tree, you have to realize that big rig trucks carry 90% of America's goods around this country. One look around your desk right now will show you that nearly everything on it, in it, plus the desk itself and the computer you're reading this on were probably brought to you by truck.

So how do we make those trucks more efficient?

Many strides are being made right now to do just that, actually. RMI recently released a study (Transformational Trucks: Determining the Energy Efficiency Limits of a Class-8 Tractor-Trailer) analyzing how currently available technology could be used to effectively double the average mpg trucks currently get.

Doubling from 6.5 to 12.3mpg on the 500,000 (or so) registered big rigs in this country would save approximately 3.8 billion gallons of diesel fuel per year. That's huge. Here are some of the upgrades currently available, many of which are becoming industry standards as fleets work to maximize their own efficiency to boost cost-effectiveness.

1. APU - auxiliary power units
   These are already effectively required in many states like California, where idling is prohibited. The DoT now gives weight allowances to further encourage their usage.


2. Maximize hauled/delivered cargo
   Most companies have been doing this for years and with the addition of computer-aided load planning, it's becoming much easier to accomplish. Basically, the more freight the truck hauls, the more efficient it is.


3. Aerodynamic efficiency
   The addition of side skirts, trailer skirts, rounded tails, etc. all help efficiency. Most old-time drivers know that the closer your cab is to the trailer, the less "drag" you create between tractor and trailer, but the worse your turning radius will be.


4. New vehicle technology
   Changes in engine and aerodynamics technologies have also steadily improved the efficiency of trucks. Hybrid-electric trucking is coming soon, with one version being tested by Wal-Mart's large fleet right now.

Regulations are also changing to allow for several updates in how things are hauled. The nation's freeway system is capable of handling much more than it currently does, provided that Bridge Law (individual weight-per-tire) is kept. The idea of "trains" similar to the long vehicles used for long haul in Australia has been promoted, as are raising the total weight restrictions on vehicles overall.

Other changes like new tire technology, better metallurgy to reduce the weight of the rig (thereby allowing more freight), and improved driver training in understanding how efficiency is gained are all crucial.

In April, the Rocky Mountain Institute will be hosting a Transformational Trucking Charrette April 14-16 with industry experts, leaders, and managers to discuss these very issues. The plan is to pool ideas on how fleets can increase their own efficiency overall, maximizing not just their profits, but also lowering the costs of transportation overall--which means lower prices at the store for all of us.