Neumaticos

The Tire Topic Magazine

SPECIAL EDITION FOUR

Important fuel economy considerations for fleet managers:
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Know what fuel economy you’re getting now. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Understand that the more fuel you use, the more you have to gain from improving your fuel economy. . . . . . . . . 7 Expect your fuel economy to change. Equipment wears, weather changes, drivers can acquire newskills, and attitudes can change. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Invest fuel economy money where it will do the most good: • Continuing education for drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 • Optimize cruise speeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 • Encourage drivers to use cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 30 • Optimize your tire selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 • Minimize idling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 • Use aerodynamics to save fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Realize the s and demand a proper return on your investment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 9 Test fuel economy for yourself. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Set realistic fuel economy goals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Take action to save fuel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Keep long-term fuel economy records. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Include fuel economy when calculating tirecost per mile over vehicle life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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overview by sinGH aHluWalia

Time was, driver pay far outweighed fuel as a fleet’s number one cost. Today, many fleets report that fuel has clearly moved into the lead. So, anything you can do to save fuel will improve your profitability – provided it doesn’tcost more than it saves. And while there are dozens of ways to improve the fuel economy of large trucks, this book will focus on those that

Are you getting all you can from your fuel can

relate to tires, because many fleets report that after fuel, tires are their highest non-salary cost. We’ll look at what Bridgestone has learned over a

quarter-century of studying therelationship of tires to large truck

fuel economy. And while some things have changed, many have not. Just as trucking is a business of pennies, so is fuel economy. There’s no one single thing you can do to be a financial success in the trucking business, and there’s no one single thing you can do to maximize your fuel economy. And yet, the good news is, practically everybody can do a better jobof getting the most out of every gallon of fuel. It begins with understanding where the energy that moves your trucks comes from – and where it goes. Once you know that, you can work on maximizing your fuel efficiency in everything you do. It’s a hot topic today, with fuel at unprecedented high prices, but the fact is, even if the price of fuel were to come down, fuel efficiency is still a greatway to reduce your operating costs – and enhance

SINGH AHLUWALIA President, Sales & Marketing, Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions

your bottom line. It can be a difficult subject, but a rewarding one too. So turn the page and let’s save some fuel!

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acquiring fuel KnoWledGe

Why this book?
This is the fourth Bridgestone publication on fuel economy. The first appeared in 1984, whenlow profile tires were gaining significant acceptance. The second, in 1992, coincided with then-new “fuel-efficient tread compound” radials. And the third appeared in 1999, when the industry was in an unprecedented boom, yet fuel was under $2 per gallon.

Bridgestone has been publishing the results of its tire fuel economy tests since 1984.

Today, low profile radials dominate the market;...