Get the Best Out of Your Hauling with These Semi Truck Fuel Economy Tips

It’s always a good idea to know how long your truck will last when having a long haul. That way, you’ll be able to plan out your trip strategically. For this reason, today, we’ll share with you some tips to keep in mind to get a better semi truck fuel economy.

The Importance of Knowing How Much Your Truck Can Hold

To take full advantage of a haul, truck drivers must be aware of their gas mileage. By doing so, they can minimize any fuel costs, thus improving travel and delivery time.

A semi truck’s fuel economy depends on the type of journey it takes. For instance, trucks can have a mileage of 23 mpg going downhill. However, this number drastically decreases to 3 when going uphill. On average, semi-trucks have a gas mileage of 6.5 miles per gallon.

How Many Gallons of Oil Does a Semi Truck Hold?

The number of gallons a semi truck can hold tends to vary on the oil filter’s size, oil cooler, and oil pan type. In most cases, trucks can hold up to 15 gallons of oil.

One way to better improve your fuel efficiency is by staying on top of your truck’s oil changes. On average, a semi-truck needs an oil change every 25,000 miles.

How Much Fuel Does a Semi Truck Hold?

Along with the amount of oil, truckers also need to know the amount of gas a truck can hold.

Generally, semi-trucks can hold between 125 and 300 gallons of fuel. Moreover, truckers should always fill up a fuel tank to 95% and avoid letting it get below 25%. We’ll explain the reason behind this rule further in this article.

Improve Your Semi Truck Fuel Economy with These Tips

If you’re a trucker, follow these tips to make the most of your semi truck fuel economy:

• Avoid overfilling your fuel tank.
• Stay on top of your truck’s tires.
• Don’t keep your truck idle.
• Make sure to take advantage of your momentum and high gears.
• Be careful of slippery roads.

Avoid Overfilling Your Fuel Tank

Believe it or not, topping off your tank can take a toll on your gas mileage. This is because filled tanks often expand and even overflow when this happens, thus bringing harmful consequences.

Some of these harmful effects include:

• Damage to your truck’s engine and charcoal canister
• Release of gas vapors due to spills
• Damage to the station’s vapor recovery system

Along with the dangers it brings to truckers and the environment, overfilling your tank actually adds extra weight to your truck. In the end, you’ll end up wasting more money while at the same time slowing you down.

Stay on Top of Your Truck’s Tires

Just like any other vehicle, trucks also require constant maintenance when it comes to their tires.

One of the top things truckers should do to keep their tires in top shape is regularly inflating them. When having under-inflated tires, your truck will generate more heat than it should. This extra heat weakens your tires, causing them to break eventually.

Additionally, tires with lower pressure can reduce fuel economy by a lot. For only 10 PSI drops in pressure, your mileage reduces by 1%.

For this reason, truckers must regularly maintain inflated tires. That way, not only will you improve fuel efficiency, but you’ll also extend your tires’ lifespan. Lastly, you can be sure that you’ll be able to stay safe on the road.

Don’t Keep Your Truck Idle

Whether it’s for a quick errand or to keep a truck’s temperature stable, it’s quite common for drivers to leave their trucks idle. Nevertheless, this mistake can negatively affect your truck’s fuel economy.

Just think of it:

Having a truck idle for an extended period keeps your engine running, thus burning extra gas. In fact, an hour can burn over a gallon of fuel!

That’s why a rule of thumb all truckers must keep in mind is that they shouldn’t let their truck stay idle over 5 minutes. In case a quick errand takes you more than this, then you should definitely turn your vehicle off.

Make Sure to Take Advantage of Your Momentum and High Gears

Experienced truck drivers are very aware of the opportunity they get when using momentum, especially when driving a heavy truck. As you get used to driving a truck, you’ll notice that momentum builds up even when you’re driving at a steady speed.

By using this momentum going uphill, your truck will use less fuel due to the extra boost. Moreover, you can even go downhill without the need to use the gas pedal.

Taking advantage of your truck’s momentum also means knowing when to brake. Whenever you’re reaching a stop sign or exit, be sure to start by slowing down in advance. By doing so, you will avoid any abrupt halts.

Always remember to use your brakes the least you can since they will break your momentum.

In addition to using your momentum, you can improve your fuel economy by staying in high gear. While the total control you have on your gears depends on the type of transmission of your semi-truck, this tip works best for trucks with manual gearboxes.

Typically, high gears often have less fuel consumption than lower ones because they put less strain on the engine. Nonetheless, avoid using high gears if you’re driving slowly since it can hurt your gas mileage.

Be Careful of Slippery Roads

Finally, if you’re looking to improve your fuel economy, you must avoid slippery roads.

Slippery roads due to ice, rain, gravel, or oil tend to make it harder for tires to grip onto the road’s surface. Not only will it make accelerating more difficult, but truckers are also at risk of any mishaps.

As such, truck drivers must plan out a route that’ll keep them away from these roads.

Furthermore, it’s always best to know some essential tips when dealing with slippery roads. That way, you’ll know how to deal with these situations and the best way to keep traction for your truck.

So, here are some safety pointers you should keep in mind:

• Maintain control by going slowly.
• Keep your axle interlock engaged.
• Maintain the engine running close to the RPM range.
• Avoid following tracks.
• Be careful when approaching corners.

Now that you know the essentials of enhancing your semi truck fuel economy, it’s time for you to hit the road and implement these tips!

Remember that if you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the highway, you can always contact us to aid you. Our crew provides you with the best semi-truck repair in the whole Las Vegas area.