NACFE releases report, website to help fleets make more informed fuel efficiency investments

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Updated Jan 29, 2016
Click here to see a copy of a summary of NACFE’s report.Click here to see a copy of a summary of NACFE’s report.

The North American Council on Freight Efficiency released Thursday a report aimed at helping fleets analyze and choose the most appropriate fuel saving technologies or add-ons for their operation.

The report’s goal is to help truck buyers wade through the complexities of fuel economy testing and fuel efficiency claims to make more informed buying decisions when it comes to investments in fuel economy, says NACFE Executive Director Mike Roeth.

NACFE also unveiled a new resources section on its website, TruckingEfficiency.org. Its goals are similar to the Jan. 28-issued Confidence Report: To simplify the data on fuel efficiency tests, provide more insight into cost-benefit analyses and help fleets make more confident purchasing decisions. The resources page will provide confidence ratings, payback analysis, workshops and more.

Inability of truck buyers to have confidence and/or understanding of fuel economy data “is a key barrier preventing fleets from making smart investments in efficiency technologies,” NACFE says in its summary of the Jan. 28 report.

NACFE makes six key recommendations in the report, directed at not only fleets, but also truck and trailer manufacturers too. The industry needs to, per the report’s recommendations:

  1. better understand the difference between accuracy and precision
  2. do a better job sharing data from efficiency tests
  3. clarify objectives when performing tests
  4. take into account real-world conditions and operations when testing
  5. be OK with a range of improvement rather than an absolute
  6. look for trends in multiple testing methods

Click here to read the executive summary of the report for more on each of those, and click here to see NACFE’s new resources page.