Get Better Truck Pulling Power
With This Simple Trick

Mike learned a tip about getting better pulling power from a commercial motor vehicle with a Mercedes Benz engine that proved true and he would like to pass it along to you.

As you may know, when a truck is able to pull its load better, not only is your ride better but the engine doesn't have to strain as much and your fuel mileage may go up a bit.

The tip that he received was extremely simple: when scaling a load of any weight -- but particularly 30,000 pounds or more -- make sure that the difference between the weights on the drive axles and trailer tandems is no more than 500 pounds.

Of course, it is desirable to have even weights (as even as possible) on the two sets of axles anyway so that there is not an undue burden on either set.

We're not sure why this tip works to improve pulling power, but it did for the Freightliner with a Mercedes Benz engine that Mike drove for a time.

If you drive a truck with this kind of engine and you typically pull heavier loads and you use this trick, let us know if it works for you, especially if you pull such a load in hilly or mountainous terrain.

As the driver who shared this tip with Mike said, the company is going to reimburse drivers for scale tickets anyway, so why not make sure the weights are as even as possible? He said, "Make the engine work for you, not you work for the engine."

Disclaimer: A different term may be used to describe what we've written about here. If you know what it is, please send it to us through the form on our Tricks of the Trade page. We'll be glad to update this page to let others know.

Money saving tip: Any time your truck's power to pull loads is improved or increased, the strain on the engine decreases. That translates into potentially longer engine life. Also, if the truck "rides" better, not only is there less jarring on the truck but less jarring on you. If you can reduce the amount of wear and tear your body gets inside your truck, that can be beneficial from a health perspective.