Kenworth Truck Co., Kirkland, Wash., has produced a comprehensive “White Paper on Fuel Economy” and created a “Dynamics of Fuel Efficiency” link at www.kenworth.com.
The 14-page white paper, which can be downloaded from the new link, explores six major areas that can contribute to fuel efficiency – aerodynamics; component spec’ing; advanced technology; route management; driver behavior; and proper maintenance. The component spec’ing section offers a tire-tips section, courtesy of Bridgestone/Firestone.
Kenworth notes that, even with the price of diesel coming down, a small saving per truck can be significant. For example, a truck that travels 100,000 miles annually and gets 6.5 mpg uses 15,385 gallons of fuel. That’s $23,077, assuming an average cost of $1.50 per gallon.
An increase to 7 mpg cuts annual usage to 14,285 gallons, and reduces the cost to $21,428. That saves $1,649, or just over 7 percent. A fleet running 100 trucks would save nearly $165,000 in just one year and almost $500,000 over three years.
The white paper offers spec’ing tips that focus on enhancing vehicle aerodynamics, reducing mechanical resistance, selecting the right engine and gearing for the intended application, and choosing the proper tires to reduce rolling resistance. It also suggests fuel-economy tips to help drivers and maintenance personnel get the most out of equipment.
In addition, the paper details the fuel-economy research done by Kenworth engineers, using computers, wind tunnels, test tracks and highways.
