The Importance of Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving

These days it seems like employers are only willing to hire drivers who have had some training in safe and fuel efficient driving. While it’s easy to understand the benefits of fuel efficient driving to the owners of trucking companies it can be difficult to understand the benefits of optimizing fuel efficiency and reducing emissions to the average driver. You will find that through keeping an eye on your MPG you will benefit your career and make a lasting impact on the environment.

The Benefits of Fuel Efficient Driving

It may seem like a heap of new age hippie rubbish, but the fact of the matter is that increasing fuel efficiency and decreasing emissions has a very positive effect on the environment. If the thousands of drivers on the road in the UK today made small changes to reduce their emissions it would greatly improve the air quality for this generation and the next. Obtaining oil and converting it to petrol is a very caustic process, by reducing the need for fuel it will reduce the need for both drilling and refinement.

Helping the environment is all well and good, but at the end of the day what a blue collar worker is really concerned about is job security and wages. A company will begin laying workers off and cutting wages when the company’s profitability decreases. In the trucking industry around 30% of a company’s operating cost is fuel. If you can help reduce the amount your company spends on fuel it will help your company maintain a decent profit margin, even in a tough economy. This will in turn increase your job security and potentially your wages.

What Effects Fuel Efficiency?

There are three main factors that can contribute to good or bad fuel efficiency: traffic conditions, weather conditions, and the vehicle you’re driving.

Congested traffic conditions affect fuel efficiency by forcing the driver to accelerate, brake, and shift more often than they would on an average run. There are a few ways to reduce the impact of poor traffic conditions on your fuel efficiency. First, carefully map your route before you ever get on the road and check your route’s traffic conditions using the radio or the internet. This way you can plan an alternate route should there be poor traffic conditions in your way. Second, if you do find yourself stuck in an endless line of traffic (which will at times be unavoidable) try to switch engine as much as is feasible and skip gears when possible to reduce excessive shifting.

The worst weather conditions for both fuel efficiency and safe driving can be found in winter. Even without the snow, ice, and bitter winds the cold of winter is enough to reduce fuel efficiency by 10%. Unfortunately it is near impossible to undo the fuel efficiency loss brought on by winter, the best thing a driver can do is be vigilant with fuel efficient driving techniques.

Although it is very difficult to control the type of vehicle you drive (as that plays a big role in fuel efficiency), it is possible for you to play an active role in keeping the vehicle in good condition and properly loaded. By keeping your engine running smoothly and tyres properly inflated not only will you increase your MPG, you’ll also increase the life of your vehicle. When packing your vehicle make sure to place the load in the most aerodynamic position possible, this will reduce drag and increase your fuel efficiency.

What to Avoid

If you’re not one to hone in on every tiny detail while driving there are three main points that will greatly aid your fuel efficiency if you keep them in mind.

First, when you’ve stopped turn your engine off! The average driver wastes a full two litres of fuel with excessive idling. Just turning your engine off when you stop will eventually save enough fuel to pay your salary.

Second, slow down! We know you’re on deadline and you’re trying to finish your run as quickly as possible, but speeding is both dangerous and terrible on fuel efficiency. In the long run the company will save more money having you out on the road a little bit longer, than wasting fuel and getting tickets driving too quickly.

Lastly, check your tyres! As mentioned previously under inflated tyres greatly reduce your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. Just keeping your tyres properly inflated could save your company thousands. Imagine, just by maintaining properly inflated tyres you’ll be increasing job security for yourself and your coworkers.

Best Practices of Fuel Efficient Driving

Now that you’ve learned what not to do we’d like to supply you with a few tips to stretch every last drop of fuel.

When driving in hilly terrain remember to let the weight of the lorry work to your advantage. When going downhill simply ensure your in the correct gear and use the momentum you’ve gathered to help get the lorry up and over the next hill without wasting litres of fuel. In most new trucks the engine is designed to stop the flow of fuel when the driver is not engaging the accelerator.

ry to avoid speeding by using your cruise control (if you have it). If you’re cruising down the open road why not just set it and forget it? Setting the cruise control will ensure that you travel a consistent speed with minimum accelerating and braking. Using cruise control will also keep you from accidentally speeding should your mind wander.

Instead of using your friction brakes use your exhaust breaks. The exhaust brake works by cutting off the flow of fuel to the engine. With this one simple tip you will extend the life of your brake pads and your fuel.