Large Truck Operations:
How Can They Be Made
as Frugal as Possible?

Whether you drive one truck or manage a fleet, you know truck operations can be expensive.

We read in the November 2009 edition of "The Rolling Review" newsletter published by Mike's trucking company that the EPA has mandated changes to each new tractor totaling some $20,000. New engines will be $15,000 more each on top of the cost of the tractor. Ouch! Have A Great Idea for Frugal Truck Operations? Share it!

It's never been more important for truck drivers to save money while operating their commercial motor vehicles.

Owner operators may be especially concerned about saving money on the operation of their trucks. Over time, we plan to address different aspects of operating a large truck, both driving and non-driving aspects, in order to help you save as much money as possible.

Our topic list is sure to grow, but for now it includes: auxiliary power units (or APUs); avoiding a deer collision or other animal collisions; how to back up safely; break downs; diesel fuel prices; driver comfort; idling costs; toll roads, PrePass, E-ZPass and other turnpike passes; saving fuel; scale tickets; seasonal driving; truck accidents and crashes; truck grill decorations; truck inspections; truck stops; truck wash; visibility and blind spots; and weigh stations.

We were planning to address the Idle Aire service, but the company ceased operations on January 29, 2010. We understand that they plan to bring back service to a limited number of locations due to demand.

We do address the aspect of drivers who try to pin fault on others for their own actions.

Money saving tip: Whenever the cost of trucking goes up, the cost is passed along to the customer and eventually the consumer. All truck drivers are also consumers, and we want to keep costs low and profits reasonable. To accomplish this, we can employ various techniques to make truck operations frugal. For example, take the awareness of fresh and stale red and green traffic lights that help drivers save fuel. If a driver sees that a traffic light has been red for some time (a "stale red"), then he or she can back off on the fuel to give the light time to change to green without having to bring the truck to a complete stop before proceeding.

Have A Great Idea for Frugal Truck Operations?

Do you have a great idea about saving money on big rig truck operations? Share it!